Isn't That A Muggle Tradition?
by all over the streets
Summary: The war is over and those who missed their seventh year have returned to Hogwarts to finish their education. The first week of school brings a new challenge to Hogwarts: Spirit Week! DM/HG challenge from Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini. COMPLETE.
1. Spirit Week?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for a cute little Honda CR-V.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**One. Spirit Week?**

Hermione Granger sighed and settled down on one of the benches at Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She couldn't help but feel at home in the castle she had gone through so much in. It had become her home away from home from the second she plopped down at this table as a first year. Hermione folded her hands in her lap as her best friends settled in around her. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley took their normal places on each side of her and Ron's little sister Ginny sat down on Harry's other side, taking his hand in her own.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had returned to finish their schooling since they had skipped their seventh year to hunt down the Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort once and for all. Since Ginny had stayed behind and finished her sixth year, she was now in the same year as the three older students. The seventh year class was only slightly larger than normal, though, due to the large amount of casualties in the final battle. The seventh years from Slytherin were especially few and far between because most of them took the Dark Mark the summer before their seventh year. The closest person Hermione and her friends had lost was Fred Weasley, and Ron's family was still trying to deal with that loss.

George Weasley, Fred's twin, was heart-broken. He had even shut down Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for the foreseeable future. His reality had been shattered with the loss of his partner in crime and other half. The Weasley family was learning to cope with George's loss of hearing on one side of his head, and they mourned Fred's death daily. Even now, on a day that was supposed to be a happy one, Hermione could see that Ron and Ginny were dying inside at the loss of someone had always been a part of their lives since their birth. The look on Ron's face tore Hermione's insides apart, not because she saw him as more than a friend (which she thought she did at one point; thank Merlin that phase had passed), but because he was practically her brother and she couldn't imagine what she would feel like if he had died. And now he and his family had to go through that pain.

Reaching under the table, Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked up at her gratefully before looking back down at his empty plate. She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from the side and leaned her head on his broad shoulder.

"It's going to be alright, Ron," she murmured soothingly. "Maybe not right now, and maybe not next week. Maybe not even next year. But it'll be alright someday. Fred had a great life, and he'd want us to remember the happier times. Remember how he was always smiling? That's how he would want you to remember him. Think of all the happiness he and George brought to the world. That's the way life is meant to be led. And that's the way Fred would want you to live your life."

Hermione felt her throat closing up and willed herself not to cry. Although she and the twins had never been that close, she still hated to see Ron and Ginny in the type of pain they were in. It wasn't okay with her.

Suddenly, a murmur went though the Great Hall. Harry rolled his eyes upon seeing who walked through the doors and went back to his conversation with Ginny, which was much like Hermione's conversation with Ron.

"Bloody bastard," Hermione heard Ron say under his breath. "He deserves to be in Azkaban waiting for the Kiss, not here terrorizing the people who did the right thing."

Hermione sat up straight and ignored Ron. She turned around to see Draco Malfoy striding down the aisle to his seat at Slytherin's table across the room from her own table. Hermione mimicked Harry's action and rolled her eyes before turning back to her own table.

"Ron, you know he earned his freedom," she stated. "He never took the Dark Mark. And he didn't kill Dumbledore. And he changed sides during the battle and protected a group of first years while Harry was looking for Voldemort to kill him. He's on our side. Everyone in this room is."

Ron ignored her and stared at his hands on the table in front of him. Hermione turned around to look at the Slytherin table again and sighed. There were so few of them now that it almost made her sad. They were all ostracized, too. Everyone still held the stigma that if you were in Slytherin, you were a bad person who did bad things and worshipped Voldemort. Hermione knew that had been the case for many of them, but those who were sitting at that table now didn't deserve to be treated that way. Hermione shook her head sadly and turned back to her own table.

"Excuse me, students."

The entire room stopped talking and looked up at the large podium that was kept in front of the teachers' table. Professor McGonagall stood behind it, surveying the group in front of her with sad eyes.

"Thank you. I'd like to start by welcoming everyone back to Hogwarts. I hope you all had a wonderful summer after the horrible events that took place last year," Professor McGonagall said. "Henceforth, I will be acting as Headmistress and also professor of Transfigurations due to the death of the beloved Albus Dumbledore. Now, without further ado, let the Sorting begin."

Professor Babbling, who taught Ancient Runes, carried the stool to the front of the Great Hall, along with the Sorting Hat. The majority of the hall went back to their previous conversations, used to the Sorting process. The younger students started fidgeting, watching as the new first years were brought into the room and slowly sorted into the four houses. Hermione finally looked up when she heard Blaise Zabini's little sister, Libby, called to the Hat. She was sorted into Slytherin and when she jumped off the stool, she booked it over to the table to sit with her brother.

Ron glanced over at the Slytherin table, finally breaking the staring contest he had been having with his hands. He locked eyes with his girlfriend of two months, Pansy Parkinson, and flashed a small smile. She beamed at him before she turned back to her other friends. Hermione had never been sure when their courtship had begun, but it was definitely the beginning of summer. Ron said he had run into her at a shop in Hogsmeade and that she had said she wanted to talk to him about something over lunch sometime. A few days later, they met for lunch and Pansy had apologized for everything that had happened in the last six years. They had started hanging out with each other more and two months ago, he had gotten up the nerve to ask her out. She had said yes and they had been happily dating ever since. Well, as happy as Ron could be given the loss he had suffered.

Hermione didn't begrudge him that happiness though. He seemed to put Fred's death in the back of his mind when he was with Pansy, and Hermione had no problem with them dating if Pansy made Ron happy and vice versa. In fact, ever since the war had ended, the relationship between Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed much less tense. There would always be the rivalry, but it no longer branched out into other aspects of their lives. It was merely for fun.

"Welcome to the new students," Professor McGonagall said, demanding everyone's attention at the podium once more. "I would like to take a moment to make an announcement. Headmaster Dumbledore left a list of things he wanted to be done once the war ended, whether he was alive or not. These things are mandatory for all the students and the faculty here, and I'm sure you'll all be up to the task. Those of you that have grown up in a muggle society know what 'Spirit Week' is. For those of you who did not grow up in such a community, Spirit Week is a week of shenanigans, basically. Each day has a theme, and you dress according to that theme. These themed days usually lead up to a large sporting event or a dance of some sort, so this year will be the first annual Back to School Dance. The dance is set to take place next Saturday. That's one week from tomorrow. Spirit Week begins on Monday, which gives you the weekend to get your things in order."

A shocked murmur went through the Great Hall as Professor McGonagall revealed her news. She raised her hand to quiet the students before she continued. "Monday will be 'Little Kid Day', which is self-explanatory. Tuesday will be 'Social Swap Day', where you dress completely opposite to how you normally do on a normal day. Wednesday will be 'Twin Day', so you may want to find someone you can dress up with. School uniforms may not be worn on Twin Day as an easy way out of being imaginative. Thursday will be 'Opposite Gender Day'. I understand that you may be a bit uncomfortable with dressing as the opposite sex, but remember that participation is mandatory. And Friday will be 'School Spirit Day', where House colors are worn and pride in Hogwarts is shown to the fullest. Then on Saturday, the Back to School Dance will take place. There will be posters throughout the school that list the days and their themes. Now, I suggest you start brainstorming as you eat up."

Food magically appeared on the plates in front of the students and their cups were filled with various juices based on personal preference. Harry and Ron looked at each other over Hermione's head, bewildered by the most recent development.

"Well, looks like even when Dumbledore isn't here, he still knows how to make an impression," Harry said, smirking slightly.

"I'll say," Ron replied. "Bloody hell. How are we supposed to have all this stuff ready for Monday? We've got two days! Not to mention that next week we'll have classes to deal with."

"Ron, you sound like me," Hermione said, smiling. Ginny chuckled.

"It won't be too horrible," Ginny offered. "I'm sure we could floo Mum and she would send us anything we might need for next week. Plus I could probably borrow some clothes from the Head Girl." Ginny looked at Hermione expectantly and Hermione rolled her eyes for the second time that sitting. She nodded her approval and Ginny sat back, satisfied the she would make it through the coming week comfortably. But she suddenly turned to Hermione with a scared look on her face. "Hermione. The dance. We don't have dresses!"

Hermione dropped her fork onto the table, where it clanged against her plate and then the other utensils. "You're right! What are we supposed to do?"

"I suppose we could go down to Hogsmeade this weekend. But Merlin, they sprung this dance thing on us rather quickly."

Harry was desperate to change the topic of conversation so that he and Ron could contribute something. He wracked his brain for something - _anything_ - to get the girls to stop talking about dresses. "Did McGonagall say that the teachers have to participate, too?" he finally asked, praying to Merlin it would work.

"Oh my gosh, she did!" Ginny said, her jaw dropping. "Can you imagine Hagrid in a dress?"

The four of them took a moment to picture the large man in a frilly dress with flowers on it, but quickly blocked the image from their minds. Ron shuddered, pushing his plate away from him with a grunt.

"Not hungry?" a sweet voice chirped from behind the group. Ron turned to look at Pansy before he nodded. She slid onto the bench on the opposite side of Ron than Hermione. Harry looked at her, trying to figure out what seemed different about her. Her voice had sounded different, but not just because it was sweet rather than disgusted. It seemed less nasally, as if she had had her face stretched out to where it was normal, rather than that of a pug. He took a good look at her nose, which was decidedly different. It was one of those perfect, ski-jump noses that you would expect to see on a model. It was also less squished into her face.

Without thinking, Harry asked, "Pansy, did you get a nose job?" She looked over at him, shocked that he would actually ask. Harry realized his mistake and quickly backtracked. "I mean, not that it would be bad if you had gotten a nose job. I was just wondering because your voice sounded different and you look kind of different than when I last saw you and -"

Ginny slapped a hand over his mouth and looked at Pansy apologetically. "Sorry about him. He sometimes speaks without thinking. Whether you got a nose job or not, you look great Pans."

Pansy nodded, her dark hair shaking as she moved her head. Ron put his arm around her slender shoulders and hugged her to him. "Harry, I did get a nose job. I had a deviated septum, and if I hadn't gotten the operation it would have hindered my ability to breathe. I figured that I might as well get my dream nose if I was going to get anything done to it. And really, I don't mind people asking. It's not a big deal."

"I think you're beautiful no matter what," Ron said, mushily. It was the first time anyone had seen Ron melt under a girl's spell, and it was a welcome change from his normally sulky self. Hermione and Ginny locked eyes and smiled.

"Gin, do you want to go plan our Twin Day outfits?" Hermione asked.

"I'd love to. Harry, you can come with us so we have a guy's opinion," Ginny said, pulling Harry up from the table. Hermione followed the couple and waved goodbye to Ron and Pansy, leaving the two to talk alone for a while. "Oh, Hermione. I wonder if we could do a Triplet Day instead of Twin Day? We could get Pansy in on it if she wanted," Ginny said loud enough for Pansy and Ron to hear.

"That would be lovely," Pansy called from the table with Ron.

"We'll have your clothes ready for you tomorrow," Hermione replied and walked out of the Great Hall with two of her best friends.


	2. Dresses and Dates

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for twelve different colors in eyeliners.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Two. Dresses and Dates.**

Ginny held up a burgundy dress to her body to inspect it in the mirror of Gladrag's Wizardwear. She frowned, disappointed by the way the color clashed with her freckled skin and long, red hair. Hermione seemed to be having problems finding a suitable dress as well judging by the small crinkle in her forehead. Ginny sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Pansy, who was sitting on one of the chairs examining her nails. She was having a custom-made dress sent to her by her family and was spared the stress of looking for a dress in the small, outlandish shop on a Saturday. Ginny couldn't help but be a little jealous of that fact.

"Hermione," Ginny whined, placing the burgundy dress back on the rack and pouting dejectedly. "There is no way in hell that we are going to find any dresses in here that are even somewhat attractive. I mean, just look at the place! Bloody hell, it looks like someone ate a bunch of clothes and puked up all the unattractive ones all over this place."

Hermione grimaced and looked around the store. She hated to admit it, but Ginny was right. Most clothing stores were organized, first by size of the clothes and then by color. Gladrag's employees had literally tossed clothes on racks, leaving the garments hanging, sometimes forlornly and other times covered by many other pieces of clothes until there was a small mountain on the rack.

"I know, Gin," Hermione replied. "But where else can we go? There's no way to sneak to Diagon Alley. We barely figured out the way to get to Hogsmeade. And I really don't want to get lost looking for a secret passage to Diagon Alley. This is the best we can get."

"I can't stand how frumpy these make me look though! And they all clash with my hair. It's like someone in the fashion world decided that clothes should not look good on redheads and the rest of the designers followed suit without thinking twice. And it's not like Mum is going to go and buy me a nice dress and send it to me by owl. She refuses to dip into the money Ron gave her after the war," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "She says she's saving it for an emergency."

"I think this counts," Hermione stated, giving Ginny a look. "You should definitely floo her tonight and beg for a dress."

"I don't know," Ginny said skeptically. "Mum has never been an overly social person. She'll just tell me not to go to the dance."

"Then tell her that Harry wants to go and you're doing it to please him."

"I could do that. I just don't know that I trust her taste in dresses though."

Pansy started snickering from her seat behind the two girls. Hermione and Ginny locked their eyes on Pansy, glaring at her. The snickering continued even as Pansy met each of their glares. She shook her head and put a small hand over her mouth to try to stifle the laugh.

"And what's so funny, Pansy?" Ginny asked. Pansy continued to shake her head and laugh. It took a few moments for her to collect herself enough to answer.

"Put those atrocities away. I ordered three dresses for next weekend, but only one has my measurements. The other two have your measurements," Pansy explained. "I just had to see you two try on the ugliest dresses in the world before I could stand to tell you."

Shocked, Ginny looked at Hermione. "But you never even took our measurements," Hermione said, aghast.

"It's not hard to guesstimate," Pansy said. "Especially when you've got an eye like mine. I plan on being a designer when I graduate, and your measurements aren't that hard to judge by sight."

"Merlin, Pansy. Thank you," Ginny gushed, rushing forward to hug her friend. Pansy smiled and hugged Ginny back, and then hugged Hermione. "What color are they? Are they long or short? Where did you get them? How much did they cost? I'll floo Mum and tell her to send me however much it cost, because she won't let me just _take_ a dress like that. What color is yours? When are they -"

"Whoa now! Easy on the questions, Sherlock," Pansy said, smiling at Ginny's excitement. "Hermione's dress is purple and your dress is dark green. They're short, a couple inches over your knees. They're from Madam Malkin's. You don't get to know how much they cost, so don't even think about flooing your mum and asking her for money to pay me back. Because I won't take it. My dress is red. They're being sent to me on Monday, so we can try them on on Monday night to make sure no changes need to be made. Any other questions?"

"What do they look like?" Hermione asked. "Other than the color?"

Pansy grinned. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

0000

Harry sat back in one of the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Ron to make his move in their game of wizard chess. He had to be very careful because if he didn't make the right move, Harry would have his Queen mated, and that wasn't something that Ron was going to allow to happen without a good fight. His brow was furrowed with concentration as his right foot tapped on the ground obnoxiously as he thought his move through. Harry took his moment to think about Ginny. He wondered what her dress was going to look like. He knew she would look stunning in it, but other than that he had no clue.

Ron finally made his move, saving his Queen for one more turn. Harry quickly moved his Knight to put her back under pressure and smirked. Ron frowned, annoyed that Harry had gotten so much better at the game since their last time playing one another.

"Ron, who's going to ask Hermione to the dance?" Harry asked suddenly. He knew that he was going with Ginny and Ron was going with Pansy, simply because they were dating. Blaise Zabini was going with Luna Lovegood, who he had been courting since halfway through summer. Harry wasn't sure how it had happened, but apparently Blaise liked the odd girl. He had asked her to the dance after the feast and she had happily said she would go with him, followed by something about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks being in the Forbidden Forest and needing to be fed. Blaise had come up to the Gryffindor common room that night and told Harry and Ron about the experience and both of them had laughed but congratulated him.

Ron looked up at Harry, his brow furrowing even further than before as he thought even harder about that. It was odd for Ron to think about Hermione dancing with anyone since he had fancied her once and now saw her as his sister. He felt very protective of her. "I don't really know," he finally said. "It's not like she's unattractive, so I'm sure that someone will ask her. Maybe Pansy or Ginny could get one of their guy friends to ask her? I'm not even sure that she would mind if she went by herself."

Harry doubted that Hermione would be okay with going by herself. She was confident in the library, but social scenes were not her cup of tea when she didn't feel like she was accepted. That acceptance would have to come from a person asking her to the dance. Ron saw the look on Harry's face and sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe we should keep an eye out for someone, too," Ron murmured. "If worst comes to worst, she can go with someone younger."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione needs someone who she can actually talk to though, not some dimwitted sixth year. She'd be two years older than the little bugger since she was supposed to be a seventh year when he was a fifth year. You know that wouldn't work."

"And you know that there's absolutely no one at this school who can match Hermione for wit and knowledge expect for that bloody sod Malfoy. And the entire school knows that he would die before walking into the dance with a muggleborn on his arm," Ron shot back.

"As right as you are about him being the only one who can match her for wit and knowledge, you could be completely off base. Things and people change," Harry replied.

"Harry, you can't be serious right now!" Ron exclaimed. "You _hated _Malfoy for the better part of seven years! You can't just go and take that ferret's side all of a sudden and try to say that he's changed. It's not possible for him. He's just a right foul git, and I won't let him fool you with his smooth act. He belongs in Azkaban and you know it."

Harry shook his head. "Hermione has already explained this to you, Ron. I know that you don't like him as a person, but he doesn't deserve to be in Azkaban. And neither do any of the other Slytherins who were allowed to return to school. I'm not saying that I like him either, because he _is_ a git. And I'm not saying that I _want_ him to go with Hermione to the dance, because that would mean dealing with him all night. I'm merely stating a fact: he is the only male in this school who can keep up with her intellectually."

"Either way, Harry, we all know that she would say no if he asked her," Ron said, hoping he could believe his words. Hermione could be a very surprising person, and sometimes she forgave too easily. She trusted people right off the bat, and even more if they sincerely apologized. Not that _Draco Malfoy_ would ever apologize to a _muggleborn_. It was beneath him. So the way Ron figured it, they had nothing to worry about concerning Malfoy. Ron made his move on the chessboard and sat back.

Harry, on the other hand, had other ideas about what they could expect from Malfoy. "Checkmate."

Ron frowned at the board, crossing his arms over his chest and looking annoyed. The portrait creaked open as he and Harry started to clean up from their game and Hermione, Ginny, and Pansy walked in, arms free of bags. Harry and Ron shared a confused look as the girls made their way over to them. Ginny kissed Harry on the cheek by way of greeting and Pansy gave Ron a quick hug before sitting on the nearby couch with Hermione.

"So I see that you've returned empty-handed," Harry said, somewhat befuddled. "What happened?"

"Pansy ordered us dresses when she ordered her own," Hermione said, grinning from ear to ear. "So we don't have to worry about them."

"Well that was very sweet of her," Ron said, smiling at his girlfriend approvingly. He couldn't be happier that she was getting to be closer friends with his best friend and sister. "What do they look like?"

"We don't even know yet! She won't tell us." Ginny pouted. Pansy rolled her eyes at the melodramatic girl.

"It has to be a surprise! I know you'll like them," Pansy said, nudging Ginny with her shoulder. "Anyways, I want to see our Triplet Day outfits. You still haven't shown me those. Which means that I'm about to just go up to the dorms and ransack every room until I find yours, at which point I _will_ find this outfit. But that's only if you refuse to take me to them."

Hermione laughed and pulled Pansy with her to go upstairs. "Bye boys!" she called over her shoulder as she and Pansy ascended the staircase that led to the girls' dormitories. "You coming, Gin?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute!" Ginny called back, still reclining on the couch. "I have to talk to my brother and Harry for a bit."

"Suit yourself," Pansy said and followed Hermione. Harry and Ron looked at Ginny inquisitively, not sure whether to be scared or not. She smiled deviously, which didn't soothe their thoughts or dispel the confusion they felt.

"What's up, Gin?" Ron finally asked.

"Hermione needs a date for next weekend," Ginny stated. When she didn't say anything more, Harry motioned for her to continue. "Well, I was hoping you could suggest some people who you thought might be good enough for her, especially since you two have to approve or it could be a very awkward. Which means I need your input on every single boy in this school who is a seventh year currently."

"That's a large number of people, Gin. And not all of them live up to Hermione's standards or intelligence," Harry said.

"Well, that narrows the list down a lot, doesn't it?" Ginny said. "I expect a list of suitable boys by Monday. Now, I'm going to look at my Triplet Day outfit. Don't tell anyone we're doing this, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," Ron said, jumping up and pretending to salute. Ginny laughed, rolled her eyes, and stood up. She kissed Harry once more on the cheek before she skipped across the room to the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories. She arrived at her room a few moments later, where Pansy and Hermione were already wearing their outfits for Triplet Day. Hermione had magicked copies of her muggle shirt, shorts, shoes, and accessories for Ginny and Pansy to wear.

"This is going to be the best day ever," Ginny said, smiling as she walked over to her friends. Hermione handed Ginny her ensemble, laughing a little.

"People are going to think we're crazy," Pansy stated.

"Let them think what they will," Hermione said proudly. "We're having fun. And that's not something they can't judge us for."


	3. Little Kid Day

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for twenty-nine (and counting) bracelets.

**The Challenge **(posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Three. Little Kid Day.**

Sunday came and went, full of preparations for the upcoming week of shenanigans and insanity. Ron and Harry formed a suitable list of seventh years who were Hermione's age to show Ginny while she, Hermione, and Pansy meticulously planned their outfits. While the girls looked forward to the events of the week, the boys were dreading the themed days. Dressing up for things was not a strong suit at Hogwarts, unless the dress code was very specific - as in, dress robes since those came in sets with everything that they might need included.

Monday morning arrived and the boys donned their too-short corduroys and superhero t-shirts, which were tight on their torsos and barely reached the waistline of their pants. Their socks were tall and white, and their sneakers had been magicked to light up when they took a step.

The boy who had the biggest problem with this was Draco Malfoy. He had always been taught that appearance was everything, even at school. Although his father was dead and his mother was at St. Mungo's, recovering from a nasty wound she had sustained during the final battle, he still felt he owed them the favor of dressing well. Wearing clothes that were much too small for him as opposed to his normal tailored trousers and button-downs was just the opposite of his raising. The icing on the cake were the sneakers. Some muggle cartoon grinned up at him on the toes of the shoes, a yellow monstrosity that looked more like a sponge than anything else, and the lights blinked obnoxiously with each step. Draco didn't even want to think about what material the socks were made of, but they were making his feet itchy. And the amount of gel he had had to use to keep his hair down and parted oddly was ridiculous. He would have to send out for a new jar of it tonight, and he had started out with an unopened jar on Friday. It disgusted him.

As Draco leaned over in his seat at the Slytherin table to scratch his foot for the five thousand and third time, he took a moment to look around him. Most every boy at the four tables was doing the same or readjusting their shirts. The teachers at the front of the room looked equally uncomfortable in their children's clothing. Even McGonagall seemed to be regretting her decision to put Dumbledore's plan into action.

It was in this one moment that Draco envied being a girl. They were all wearing cute, frilly dresses and stockings with curled pig-tails and loafers. He turned as Ginny, Hermione, and Pansy walked through the doors. His intent had been to look around the entire Hall, but the three girls caught his eye as they walked in.

They were all wearing identical dresses in different colors: Pansy in light blue, Hermione in pink, and Ginny in a pale green. They each wore white stockings and black loafers that had been shined till they shone like a new penny. Ginny and Pansy had pulled their hair into pig-tails on the sides of their heads, curling them and leaving a fringe of bangs in front of their faces. Hermione had chosen to leave her hair down, merely using a charm to tame it some so that it fell past her shoulders and halfway down her back in gorgeous russet curls.

Pansy parted with her two friends and made her way over to the Slytherin table while they went to the Gryffindor table across the room. Pansy plopped down next to Blaise and across from Draco, picking up her fork and waiting for her food to appear in front of her. Blaise barely noticed that she had arrived. He was too busy staring at Luna Lovegood where she was sitting one table over with her fellow Ravenclaws. She was enraptured in the latest edition of _The Quibbler_, and kept her head bowed to read. When Pansy caught him staring, she elbowed him in the ribs.

"Just go talk to her, Zabini," she said. "I mean, you're allowed to now, you know. You _did_ ask her to the dance." Blaise nodded resolutely and stood from the table. He made his way over to Luna and sat next to her, starting a conversation. Pansy smiled at her matchmaking.

Meanwhile, Draco was still turned toward the Gryffindor table, where he watched Hermione and Ginny sit with Harry and Ron and chatting away. He couldn't take his eyes off of Hermione's hair; it amazed him how _un_-fuzzy it was. It almost made her attractive.

_Stop it,_ Draco chastised himself, _You hate her. She's not good enough for you. She never was, she never will be. Just because the war ended and there's no longer a blood-feud doesn't mean that you can suddenly defy your family's wants._

Pansy watched Draco with slitted eyes. She knew where his gaze had traveled to, and she was confused. She watched as he turned back to the table and shook his head, as though trying to get rid of a pesky bug that had been bothering his ear. The wheels in her mind started turning and putting the puzzle pieces together.

"So, now that the war is over," Pansy began, grabbing Draco's attention, "what do you think of Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

Draco merely looked at her for a moment, his pale eyebrows furrowed over his aristocratic nose. His pale blond - almost silver - hair remained in place where he had gelled it to his head as he seemed to think about her question for a moment. "Well," he finally said, "I obviously don't dislike them anymore. But it's not as if I want them to be my friends."

Pansy sighed, frustrated that Draco always refused to be honest about the way he felt about The Golden Trio. It was so obvious that he had the beginnings of a crush on Hermione that Pansy could practically see it radiating from him in waves. "Draco, it's quite obvious, you know."

He looked at her, confused. "What is?"

"For all the times you've tormented Hermione, and all of the times you've called her mean things, you're taking a fancy to her. Aren't you?" Pansy asked bluntly.

"No, I'm most certainly not," Draco said, indignant. "It's against the way that I was brought up. I may not hate her, but I still wouldn't marry her. I'd rather marry the Weaslette over Granger."

Pansy didn't say anything else, just returned to her meal with the satisfaction that she had planted the seed in Draco's mind that she had no doubt would bloom wonderfully. She watched Draco's blue-grey eyes cloud over with confusion as his eyebrows knit together once more like they did when he thought hard about something.

As she stood to leave, Pansy gave Draco one last prod. "Mum always used to tell me that the girl a boy is most mean to is the one that he fancies. I'm starting to think she was right."

0000

The remainder of that Monday passed in a blur for Draco. He took down notes in his Double Potions class, which he (of course) had with the Gryffindor seventh years, and spent his free period in the library thinking. Then he had Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration before his N.E.W.T.s preparation class. The day couldn't have ended fast enough for Draco, who trudged into the Great Hall for dinner even more confused than he had been that morning. Realizing he wasn't even hungry, he turned on his blinking-sneaker-covered heel and headed back up to the library to get started on his homework early so he could spend the evening in peace.

When Draco entered the library, he wasn't surprised to see Hermione there, poring over a large book that Draco could only assume was a Potions book. That was the only class he could see her having to do too much extra studying for. It was, in fact, the class he had wanted to get ahead in. He sighed and made his way over to the table Hermione was seated at. He dropped his bag onto the ground next to the seat across from her, announcing his arrival. She looked up from her book, startled, to see who had disturbed her. Her face took on a look of confusion when she saw Draco in front of her.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes full of shock.

"Granger," Draco said by way of greeting, nodding to her. "I was wondering if that was the Potions book that Professor Slughorn mentioned today in class?" She nodded and Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Oh. Well, would you mind if I looked on with you?"

"Is this some kind of foul trick you've cooked up?" Hermione asked, suspicious of his sudden politeness. "Because if it is, you can take your pureblooded arse right out of here, Malfoy."

"Don't give yourself too much credit, Beaver teeth," Draco replied. He knew she no longer had the beaver teeth that had been hexed onto her, but it was an insult that hit her in the softer parts of her armor. She had been self-conscious about her teeth ever since the incident had occurred. "Trust me, if I didn't need to get ahead in the class, I wouldn't even be speaking to you right now."

"Oh, that just warms my soul," Hermione shot back. "Draco Malfoy wants to study with me! It's just so _under_whelming to be in his presence, I don't know what to do."

"Just scoot over so I can pull up a seat and study, Granger," Draco said, grabbing one of the chairs and sliding it in next to Hermione when she moved over for him. He slid into the seat and took out a quill, ink, and parchment to take notes. He looked over at what Hermione was using and shook his head. "What the hell is that?"

Hermione looked at him inquisitively. "What's what?"

_"That_," Draco said, motioning to Hermione's things with the end of his quill. She rolled her eyes and handed the small, oblong thing she held in her hand to him.

"That's called a pen. It does the exact same thing as a quill, but without the ink bottle. The ink is in a little tube inside of it so that it's much easier to carry around," Hermione explained. Draco turned the small object over and over in his hands, trying to figure it out. "And this is a notebook," she said and handed him what was basically a large stack of parchment bound together by a metal spiral. "It does the same thing as parchment, but there's a lot more of it to use. Plus, you don't have to roll it up or anything. You can just close it. It's kind of like a book of parchment."

Draco held the two tools in his hands and tried to understand. He opened the notebook to a blank page and tried to write with the pen, but no ink appeared on the page. Hermione laughed and grabbed the pen back.

"You have to open it, Malfoy," she said, pushing a small button at one end of the pen. A small, pointed piece of metal popped out of the opposite end of the pen. She handed it back to Draco and when he tried to write this time, he could. He signed his name on one of the lines without thinking, looking down at his handiwork proudly. Hermione rolled her eyes and took her notebook and pen back.

"I'm assuming that those are muggle things," Draco said, watching her put her things back in order. "Am I correct?"

"Yes, you are," Hermione said. "They're actually quite useful. Parchment and quills and ink bottles? Those are just so messy sometimes."

Draco turned his nose up now, sneering at the offensive tools. He disliked anything that was muggle-made, and the fact that he had been forced to wear garments like those of muggle children had irked him all day. The idea that muggles had invented something more useful than wizards had was just distasteful.

But at the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think that maybe muggle things weren't _all_ bad.

0000

Three hours later, Hermione looked up and rubbed her eyes. They were red and irritated from the hours of reading by candlelight. Draco sat next to her, working away still. She sighed and abruptly closed the book they were sharing. He looked up at her, his left hand stopping in its tracks on the parchment he was writing on.

"What are you doing, Granger?" he snapped.

"We've been studying long enough. We can do some more tomorrow night," Hermione explained, unfazed by his tone. She'd had years to get used to it. "Right now, I need a break."

Draco sighed but placed his quill on the table next to his parchment. He leaned back and stretched his sinewy arms above his head, popping his back multiple times before he settled back into his seat. He shut his eyes and leaned his head against the high-backed chair. Hermione studied him from her seat next to him, taking in his calm expression. It was odd to see his face without a sneer or a smirk marring it. He had very pointed features, but they were somehow elegant. It was a given that he should look like an aristocrat, given his genetics. He looked much more attractive when he was calm like this. Hermione could hardly imagine how dazzling he would look if he was to smile.

_Dazzling_, Hermione thought to herself, chuckling. _I sound like some insane _Twilight_ fan, describing someone as _dazzling.

"Something funny, Granger?" Draco asked upon hearing her chuckle. His eyes remained closed as he spoke, as though looking at her was too much work for him. Hermione didn't reply, merely continued to study him.

This was the boy who had tormented her for six years. He had called her names and made fun of her endlessly. Yet here he was, completely calm and having a relatively nice evening of studying with her. Something had changed within him during the war, but Hermione wasn't sure what it was. She couldn't put her finger on it, but even though she knew Draco was trying to keep their relationship the same with his insults and snide comments, Hermione couldn't help but think that Draco had become a genuinely _good_ person. He just hadn't come to terms with that fact yet.

Draco could feel her eyes on his face and could hardly fathom what she was thinking. Was she contemplating the best way to get him back for the six years of torture he had put her through? Or was she thinking and he just so happened to be in her line of sight? He wasn't sure, but he opted to go with the former.

"Take a picture, bookworm," Draco murmured. "It'll last longer." He opened one of his eyes and looked at her from the corner of it. Her face immediately turned a deep shade of red and she turned her face down and away from him, letting a curtain of her brown curls fall over her face, hiding her from him. It was his turn to chuckle now, happy that she had actually been staring at him and not just thinking because that meant he had been correct.

"Shut it, Malfoy," Hermione murmured through her hair. She flipped it back over her shoulder, looking up at him again. Her cheeks had returned to their normal coloring. Draco fully opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. It was the first time he had been this close to her since she had slapped him third year. The first thing he noticed were the freckles that lightly covered the bridge of her nose and roses of her cheeks. He met her brown eyes with his own blue-grey eyes before realizing that there was tints of gold in them. Finally, his gaze moved down to her lips, the bottom of which she was chewing at absently. Realizing that he was staring, he immediately forced himself to avert his gaze and looked at the closed book in front of him. The air between them crackled with tension as Hermione realized what he had been staring at as well. She abruptly stood and gathered her things to leave.

"Granger," Draco said hoarsely, stopping her when she was halfway through putting her books in her bag. She looked up at him, confusion clouding her eyes along with something else Draco couldn't place. He had seen it before in the eyes of other girls, but never Hermione. Arousal, maybe? He couldn't be sure. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Studying again tomorrow night?"

Hermione hesitated before nodding. "See you in Potions."

With that, she rushed out of the library looking thoroughly disheveled, her Little Kid Day dress flouncing behind her. But she certainly didn't feel like a little kid after the look Draco had just given her.


	4. Social Swap Day

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for a tube of blue hair dye.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Four. Social Swap Day.**

Ginny set her bag down next to Pansy at their shared desk in Double Potions, praying that Hermione wouldn't be too mad at her for leaving her for the day. It was for a good cause, and Hermione would see soon enough. But right now, Ginny had to keep her work more secret than she had ever kept anything else in her life. She smoothed down her skirt before she sat on the stool, smiling at Pansy.

Ginny considered herself to be a tomboy, so for Social Swap Day she had dressed in some of Pansy's super-preppy clothes. As uncomfortable as she was in the pink sweater and grey skirt with matching pink high heels, she had to admit that it was fun to dress up and pretend. Pansy had borrowed some of Ginny's clothes to look the part of a tomboy in a t-shirt for the Chudley Cannons quidditch team, a pair of jeans, and sneakers with her hair pulled back from her face in a ponytail.

"Did Hermione tell you what she was wearing today?" Pansy asked. Ginny shook her head. The two had instantly recognized that they were complete opposites in terms of fashion, so they had worked together on their ensembles. But Hermione hadn't said a word about what she was going to wear.

"She wasn't at breakfast this morning," Ginny explained. "I can only assume that she woke up early and went to the library to get some studying in before class."

As if on cue, Hermione rushed into the room with three books overflowing from her arms. She looked around for Ginny, but found her sitting with Pansy already. She shrugged and slid onto the stool next to Harry a few rows in front of the two girls. Ginny stifled a giggle at the get-up Hermione had concocted.

Since she had always been the bookworm, Hermione had chosen the jock look for her Social Swap. She wore a pair of baggy sweat pants and a real quidditch jersey that had a large golden two on the back. Ginny quickly recognized it as Ron's jersey and could only guess that Hermione had stolen it from him without his knowledge. Sure enough, Ron arrived and saw his jersey on Hermione's body and turned redder than a tomato. It only took him a few moments to get over it though and shrug it off, taking a seat next to Neville Longbottom.

Ron and Harry had both chosen to dress like Draco since they considered him to be the exact opposite of themselves even if they didn't have a reason to hate him anymore.. They were each wearing nicely pressed, tailored pants and button down shirts, and leather loafers. Moments later, Draco himself walked into the room to take his seat next to Blaise Zabini. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at his clothes.

Coming from old money, Draco considered himself to be the sophisticated version of rich. He had chosen to dress up as the tacky version for his Social Swap. Brand-name jeans hung off his slim hips, held loosely by a belt with a huge gold-and-diamond belt buckle that looked like a money sign. He wore a shirt that was at least three sizes too big for him that had money signs printed on it, and on both hands he had multiple rings to go with the huge, gaudy watch on his right wrist - since he was left-handed, he wore it on the opposite wrist most people did.

Ginny and Pansy looked at each other, stifling giggles. A few moments later, Professor Slughorn arrived in the classroom dressed as a Hogwarts student, having charmed a pair of class robes to fit his larger frame. Class went by relatively quickly, and Ginny and Pansy finished their potion early, leaving them with time to work on Ginny's secret project.

"Okay, Pans," Ginny said, pulling a roll of parchment out of her bag and handing it to the dark-haired girl. "We have to get Hermione a date for the dance on Saturday by Thursday night at the latest. Which means we need to narrow this list of boys down to a few and we need to do it fast so we can start talking to them at lunch today. So, go through your half of the list and mark off the ones you don't think are suitable for Hermione intellectually. Then go back and mark of the ones you don't think are worthy of her looks-wise."

Pansy nodded and set to work. The two girls were quiet for a moment before they looked up.

"Alright, trade with me and we'll go over it and get rid of any that we think the other missed," Pansy offered, grabbing Ginny's list and handing her the half she had just finished. It was quiet for a few more minutes as the girls went over the lists. Once they were done, they put the lists together, but were left with only one candidate.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ginny said.

0000

Luna Lovegood felt uncomfortable. It wasn't anything against the school and Dumbledore's ideas. In fact, Luna had always liked Dumbledore; he had been unpredictable and odd, someone a lot like herself. The Social Swap Day idea had seemed like it would be fun at first, but after half the day had gone by it had become an ordeal Luna wanted to forget. She wanted her uniform back, or at least the clothes she wore on a daily basis. She wanted to yank off the floral dress that Susan Bones had told her to wear because it was "quite the opposite of what she normally wore" and just crawl back into her own clothes.

Her only solace in the entire day was that Blaise had told her she looked pretty that morning at breakfast. He had sat with her again, making conversation and asking her about her father and _The Quibbler_ and the odd animals she knew about. He was easy to talk to, and he seemed really sweet. She started to wonder if she fancied him when he sat down next to her, smiling as their shoulders brushed.

Luna grinned over at him, her mood brightening a bit from his presence. Maybe she _did_ fancy him.

As Luna and Blaise made small talk, Pansy was skipping the formalities with Draco and going straight for the jugular.

"So, you like Hermione, right?" Pansy asked point-blank. She didn't even say hello as she sat down. She wasn't in the mood to play games. Learning that Draco Malfoy was the only suitable candidate to take Hermione to the dance on Saturday had been odd. But at the same time, she hadn't really been that surprised. Draco looked up at her from his plate of food, confused.

"No," he said with his mouth full. He took a moment and swallowed before speaking again. "I mean, I don't _dis_like her. But I don't fancy her, if that's what you mean."

Pansy rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "Come _on_ Draco. Just admit that you at least like her as a friend. I know that you two were studying together last night, and I also know that you're going to be studying together again tonight. That's not something that people who hate each other do."

"I suppose she's alright," Draco said, barely conceding. Pansy sat back, somewhat satisfied with her work to this point.

"So who're you asking to the dance?" she asked. He sighed, exasperated.

"I don't know yet," Draco murmured. Pansy clucked her tongue at him disapprovingly.

"You'd better get on that, Draco," Pansy said. "Before you know it, Hermione's going to have a date and you're not going to be able to ask her yourself."

"What are you talking about?" he said, confused. "I just told you that I didn't know who I wasn't going to ask. Not that I was going to ask Granger."

Pansy winked. "Just trust me on this one. I have this feeling that you will soon enough."

Draco watched as she stood with her bag and walked over to her boyfriend at his table across the cafeteria. He sighed, confusion flooding his brain and giving him a headache. Not only was Pansy correct that he needed to find a date, but he had a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach that she was correct about _who_ he would be asking as well. He felt like he wasn't himself at all, having these thoughts about Hermione. Having these feelings about her. In the whole seven years of knowing her, he had never thought that he might fancy her. Never. He had just thought that their constant bickering and fighting was because of the blood-feud between them and their rivalry in the classroom. But to actually _like_ her? He was surprised he was actually considering that that might be the reason he saw her the way that he did now.

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. One of his obnoxious rings jabbed him in the eye and he winced in pain, holding his eye until the pain had subsided to a bearable point. He looked at his watch and stood from the table, gathering his things. He walked out of the Great Hall, holding his baggy pants up with one hand and his books with the other. He was the first to arrive in the Charms classroom, aside from Professor Flitwick. The small mad nodded to Draco as he settled into his seat and prepared his things for class. Though he was very proficient in Potions, he preferred Charms to brewing poisons any day. The only reason he pretended to love Potions was that it was the only class he could one-up Hermione in. She could hand him his arse on a platter in Charms, Transfiguration, and any other class at the school. But not Potions.

As if conjured by his thoughts, Hermione arrived to the classroom. She set her bag down and rearranged the too-big quidditch jersey on her body before taking her seat.

"Granger," Draco called from his seat across the room from her. She looked over at him, surprised that someone had beaten her to class. "We still on for studying tonight?"

Again, Hermione hesitated before answering. "Sure. After dinner, right?"

"That's correct."

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Good."

0000

Hermione beat Draco to the library that evening and began to set up the same table they had used the night before. She had just settled into her seat when he sauntered through the door, his pants sagging dangerously low on his hips. They were practically falling off. She stifled a giggle as he hobbled over to the table, walking like a penguin to keep his pants on. He frowned when he noticed her laughing and shot her a glare. She immediately stopped laughing and looked at the book in front of her. It was the same potions book they had been looking through the night before.

Draco pulled out his quill, ink, and parchment and took a seat next to her. They immediately went to work, not even exchanging a word in greeting. Some might have called this being comfortable with one another to the point where "hellos" were no longer necessary. But neither of them dared to think that. Hermione wasn't sure how long they had been sitting there, writing and reading, when his knee lightly bumped hers beneath the table. She pretended not to notice, and he kept it there.

This time, Draco was the first to need a break from studying. Mimicking her action from the night before, he shut the book they were sharing and leaned back in his seat. She sighed and looked over at him, not saying a word as she closed her notebook and clicked her pen closed. He eyed the muggle utensils unabashedly, envying their ease and simplicity. Hermione pretended not to notice again as she put her books away in her bag.

"Say, Granger," Draco said, finally breaking the silence. "What's the theme for tomorrow?"

"I think it's Twin Day," Hermione replied. "Well, Triplet Day for Gin, Pans, and me. We're dressing up as triplets so that one of us isn't left out."

"Aw, how cute," Draco said sarcastically. Hermione pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows at him. He laughed - the first time she had ever heard him do so, Hermione realized - before raising his hands to indicate that he meant no harm. "Kidding, I'm kidding."

"Good. You'd better be."

Draco smiled and Hermione noticed that his smile was sort of lopsided in the most adorable way. "Or what?"

"I'll tell Pansy to tell the entire school who you like," she threatened, smiling back at him.

"She hasn't the foggiest who I like," Draco said, hoping he sounded convincing.

"That's not what she's saying," Hermione sing-songed. "According to her, you two have been having conversations about this girl for the past two mornings."

"I wouldn't really call them conversations," Draco corrected. "And Pansy just has this crazy idea that I like this girl. She's been trying to badger a confession out of me for the past two mornings, and I don't think she understands that she's not going to get one."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You of all people should know that Pansy has a knack for these kinds of things."

"Let me guess," Draco said, looking at Hermione. "She's been badgering you as well."

Hermione shook her head. "She did it to Ron's older brother, Charlie, though. When we were at the Burrow this summer. He had obviously taken a liking to this witch that worked up at Whimsic Alley, but he refused to admit it or act on it. She spent the better part of a week constantly poking him to do something about it until he finally got it through his thick skull that she was right. He went up to the store and asked her to dinner, and they've been together ever since. That's probably what put Pansy in Ron's mum's good graces, right there. But it was probably the funniest thing I've witnessed in a really long time."

Draco chuckled, not surprised in the least. "So you're saying that I don't stand a chance with getting her to drop this one?"

Hermione looked over at Draco and smiled. "Not a chance in hell."

"Well then I might as well just accept it and get on with it then, huh?"

"Probably."

Draco turned to look at Hermione, his blue-grey eyes penetrating deep into her brown eyes. She was still smiling at him, oblivious to the fact that he had been talking about her the entire time. He spent a few seconds thinking about what he should do now. But then he decided to throw caution to the wind from now on. The war had ended and there were no repercussions for who he chose to fancy. That decision made, Draco took a deep breath.

That's when he kissed her.


	5. Twin Day

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for a New York Yankees hat.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Five.** **Twin Day. **

Hermione woke the next morning hoping that she could forget the evening before. It was confusing for her, and Hermione Granger did _not_ do well with confusing.

The moment Draco's lips had touched hers, her entire body had tightened up. She had yanked her head back, looking like a deer in headlights. Draco looked back at her, frozen in place. Once she had regained control of her body, she grabbed her bag and practically ran out of the library without saying a word to him. She didn't know if he had continued to sit there or if he had gotten up and gone to his dorm, and some small part of her worried about what he had thought when she had left. It wasn't that she didn't like the fact that he had kissed her, which was a problem in and of itself. It was the suddenness of it, how she hadn't been ready for his lips to touch hers. And it was the fact that he was _Draco Malfoy._ She was used to avoiding any contact with him, and that close contact just put her defenses up immediately.

Ginny and Hermione got dressed in their matching outfits for Triplet Day. Harry and Ron were in their room, dressing for Twin Day. Hermione was happy with the fact that she, Ginny, and Pansy were being different from the rest of school and going for a triplet theme rather than the twin theme. Hermione hadn't told Ginny that Draco had kissed her yet and decided to broach the subject as she pulled on her jeans.

"So," she began. "I studied with Malfoy last night."

Ginny looked up from the shoe laces of the sneakers that she was focused on tying. "Oh?"

"Yeah..."

"How did that go?" Ginny asked, encouraging Hermione. The younger girl could tell that there was something Hermione needed to say, not that she was announcing her study-buddy for the fun of it. Hermione looked at the floor and mumbled something Ginny couldn't understand. "What was that?"

"He kissed me," Hermione repeated, louder now. Ginny's mouth dropped and she stopped attempting to tie her shoes. She looked at Hermione, shock written all over her face. It took her a few moments to collect herself.

"Did you kiss him back?" Ginny asked, still stunned. Hermione looked incredibly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"Of course not!" Hermione said, clearly regretting that fact. Ginny looked at her with a puzzled expression. "I kind of freaked out since it was Draco Malfoy. I got up and took my bag and left without saying anything to him."

"Hermione!" Ginny said reproachfully. It was Hermione's turn to look at her friend with a confused look. Ginny quickly backtracked. "I mean, he's not unattractive. And Pansy says he's not that foul of a person when you really get to know him, which I doubt. But let's just go with him being a decent person. And obviously he likes you if he kissed you. It's rude not to at least say goodbye before you just leave him like that."

"Gin," Hermione said, looking at her friend suspiciously. "Do you know something I don't know?"

"No!" Ginny said, much too quickly. Hermione pounced on her opportunity to catch Ginny flustered.

"Yes, you do!" Hermione exclaimed. "What do you know? Tell me right now, Ginevra Weasley!"

"Why, look at the time. I told Harry I would meet him to go to breakfast early. See you there, 'Mione," Ginny said, grabbing her bag and making a beeline for the door. Hermione's eyes bore holes into her back until she was out of the older girl's sight. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief and headed down to the common room, where Harry really was waiting for her to go to breakfast. Ron also stood with him, as Pansy had told him the night before that she was going to skip breakfast the next morning to talk to Hermione (a fact that Hermione had yet to learn about). Ginny smiled at her boyfriend and her brother and linked arms with both of them. "Shall we?" she asked.

"We shall," Harry responded. The three headed down to the Great Hall, passing Pansy on their way.

"She's still in our room," Ginny said as they passed. Pansy nodded and blew Ron a kiss before she flounced upstairs. When she arrived at the portrait of the fat lady, she murmured the password that she wasn't supposed to know and slipped into the common room. She tip-toed over to the girls' staircase, hoping that no one would notice a Slytherin girl walking around by herself in the Gryffindor dormitory. Luckily, no one did and she made it upstairs without incident. She walked into Hermione's room and took in the sight of her friend, surrounded by clothes and make-up.

"Hullo, 'Mione," she said cheerily, walking over to sit on Hermione's trunk that she kept in front of her bed. Hermione smiled at her friend and continued to work on the spell that she used to keep her hair in line. If done incorrectly, it would make her hair greasy and disgusting, and Hermione really hated when that happened. "How was studying with Draco last night?"

Hermione jumped at the mention of his name, and Pansy could only assume that something had happened between the two of them. She grinned devilishly, glad that Hermione couldn't see her in the mirror. She was working on her hair with renewed fervor. She obviously wanted to avoid the topic and Pansy would have none of that.

"So what happened that's making you all jumpy?" Pansy asked, prodding her just as she had prodded Malfoy. Hermione finished working with her hair before she turned to Pansy with one hand on her hip and an expression of confusion on her face.

"Hekissedme," Hermione said quickly and turned back to the mirror to do her make-up. She only wore a small amount, so it only took her a couple minutes to do. When she turned back to Pansy, she was surprised to see Pansy grinning like the cheshire cat from _Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass_, a muggle book written by a man who had been on an acid trip at the time that he wrote the book. "What?"

"I assume he told you about me poking at him to talk to you, right?" Pansy said. Hermione nodded. "Well, I now get to gloat that I was right and that he was wrong."

"What do you mean? Right about what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"About him fancying you, of course!"

0000

Hermione passed the day trying to get her thoughts in order. The most confusing part of last night for her was that she didn't really mind the kiss, and if she hadn't reacted the way that she had, she would have continued to kiss him. She wanted to go the library that night to see if he was there to talk about what had happened, but she was also scared of what he might say to her. She was scared that he might tell her off and that he had tried, but she had missed her chance.

She had done her best not to look at him all day, but she felt his eyes on her constantly. She spent four hours of each day in the same classroom as him and that made it insanely hard to ignore him. He didn't try to talk to her, though. And she counted that as a small blessing. Had he tried to talk to her, she wouldn't have known what to say.

Ginny didn't tell Harry about the kiss, and Pansy didn't tell Ron either. Hermione was thankful for that and also counted it as a blessing. If they had known, Draco might not have made it through the day. Although the boys didn't necessarily dislike Draco - well, Harry didn't - they weren't exactly on the best of terms yet.

Since she was spending her time during the day thinking about everything _but_ her classes, she did horribly. Every time she was called on that day, she didn't know the answer to the professor's question. It was uncharacteristic of her to be so flustered. She didn't like it. And she didn't like Draco for instigating it. If he hadn't kissed her in the library, she would have spent the day in normal Hermione fashion: wake up, eat breakfast, go to Double Potions, go to Muggle Studies, go to Charms, go to lunch, go to Divination, go to Transfiguration, go to dinner, go to the library and study, and go to bed before starting the routine all over. It was the way she had done things since her first year at Hogwarts. It frustrated her that one kiss could throw her completely off-balance like that.

Harry was the first to notice that something was up. He murmured in Ron's ear that day at lunch when Hermione was unusually silent. Ron shrugged and continued to eat his lunch, but Harry watched Hermione for the rest of the day. He was perplexed when she missed a question in Transfiguration, a class that normally came to her naturally. Something was off about her today. And he wanted to know what it was. He decided to talk to Ginny about it on their way to dinner that evening.

"What's up with Hermione?" he asked his girlfriend as they walked down one of the ever-changing staircases. Ginny smiled for a second before she shrugged. Harry stopped walking. "Nuh uh, Ginny. You know something and you're not telling me."

"Smart boy," Ginny said and continued to walk, tossing a devious look over her shoulder at Harry.

He shook his head before jogging to catch up to her. "She's acting odd. I don't like it."

"She'll be back to normal tomorrow," Ginny said mysteriously.

"Did you and Pansy do something to her?"

"Not exactly."

"Ginny, this isn't funny. She's my best friend. If there's something bad going on, I feel like I deserve to know what it is."

"And if it's not a bad thing?"

Harry paused to think about that. "Then I suppose it's Hermione's choice when she tells me. But if you know something, why can't you tell me? You girls love gossip, but you refuse to tell the oddest things to people. I can't keep up with it."

Ginny laughed and grabbed his hand in hers. She laced their fingers together before she started swinging their hands forwards and backwards. "You don't have to keep up with it or understand it. You just have to accept that you'll never know why girls are the way that they are."

"Just promise me that this isn't something I should worry about."

Ginny stopped walking and looked at Harry. "I promise," she said and kissed the tip of his nose. He nodded and they continued to the Great Hall for dinner, which Hermione was mysteriously absent from. Harry shot Ginny a look that told her not to make him regret believing her when she told him to worry. She shook her head and prayed to Merlin that Hermione was working things out so the she could stop hiding this from Harry.

Hermione was, in fact, trying to figure things out in the Gryffindor common room. She was pacing back and forth in front of the fire, and Neville was watching her. He was intrigued by the fact that something had stumped the great genius that was Hermione Granger and didn't want to miss one moment of her confusion. She sent him multiple looks of frustration and annoyance at his presence, but he never got up to leave. She paced for the majority of dinner before she got tired of the scrutiny that Neville had put her under. She finally went upstairs to her bedroom and fell onto her bed, staring at the ceiling and asking for a sign about what she should do. She wanted to study tonight, but then she also didn't want to run the risk of running into Draco in the library. That made for a potentially awkward situation that she didn't want to deal with when she wasn't sure how she felt about the previous night's events.

She heard a commotion downstairs and knew that people had started to arrive back in the dorm from dinner and were beginning their homework. There were footfalls on the stairs and Hermione hoped that it wasn't someone coming to look for her. As her luck of the day would have it, it was Ginny. When Hermione saw the younger redhead she groaned.

"Ginny, go away," Hermione said. Ginny raised her hands, mimicking the gesture Draco had made when he had told her that he was kidding the night before.

"I know you don't know whether to go down to the library or not tonight, Hermione," Ginny said as though reading her mind. "But you should. And you know that."

Ginny walked out of the room and Hermione grabbed her pillow, placing it over her face to stifle her frustrated scream.

0000

Draco was surprised when he saw Hermione walk into the library that evening. She was forty-five minutes later than she normally was, and he hadn't seen her at dinner. He knew she was avoiding him by the way she wouldn't look at him all day. But he was glad that she had shown up in the library for the evening. Even if they didn't end up studying together, it still gave him the opportunity to talk to her about what had happened the night before.

He watched as she browsed the shelves. She was looking for the potions book they had been sharing, no doubt. And Draco was pleased that he was in possession of it because that meant she would have to talk to him if she wanted to use the book. She sighed and looked around the room. Draco quickly turned his eyes back to the book and pretended to be reading. He felt her eyes land on him and then the book and he could practically hear the mental groan he was sure went through her brain. She hadn't wanted to have to do this, he knew. But it was worth it.

Hermione padded up to his side tentatively. She tapped his shoulder meekly and waited for him to look up at her. He held up a finger for her to wait, as though he was completely engrossed in the book. He finally looked up when he heard her foot begin to tap impatiently.

They looked at one another for a moment before speaking, each not completely sure what to say exactly.

"We...need to talk," Hermione finally said, pulling out the seat across the table from him. He nodded and watched as she sat down. She folded her hands in front of her and looked at him from her position across the table. She took a deep breath. "What was that last night?"

"A kiss," Draco said immediately. "I thought that was fairly obvious..."

"Yes, but why did you do it?" Hermione asked. It was clearly something that had been on her mind a lot that day.

"Do you remember the conversation we were having right before I did that?" he asked. She nodded. "There's your answer."

Hermione was quiet for a minute, still trying to figure everything out. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. If what he said was true, that would mean that he fancied her. She wasn't even sure that was possible.

"How can you go from hating someone to fancying them so easily, Malfoy?" Hermione said. She kept her eyes locked on his as she waited for his reply. He shrugged, looking at the book in front of him. "It just doesn't make sense."

Draco took a moment to collect his thoughts when something Pansy had told him came to mind. "Someone once told me that the girl a guy is the meanest to is the girl he fancies. It's because being mean to her is easier than facing his true feelings. Merlin knows I fit that bill quite nicely."

"So you're saying that you fancy me?"

Draco rolled his eyes. For being the smartest witch of their generation, she really was slow sometimes. "Yes, Gran- Hermione." He tried out her given name and it rolled off his tongue easily. She looked even more confused now that he had called her by her first name. Hermione leaned forward to put her head on the heels of her palms and her elbows on the table. She continued to look at Draco as she thought.

"Look, I know it's a lot to process right now," Draco finally said after five minutes of silence. "And I don't expect you to say that you return the feelings after what I put you through during our first through sixth years. I just want you to know that I do like you, and that I've changed. Whether you believe that or not is your decision." He kept his gaze locked on the book in front of him and didn't notice when Hermione stood up and shifted to the seat next to him until she was right there. He looked up at her, surprised.

Hermione's brow was furrowed with confusion, but her eyes were full of excitement. Draco wasn't sure what she was doing next to him, but he didn't really care. She studied his face like she had the night before, only this time she looked more at his eyes than anything else. They were full of emotions and Hermione wasn't sure she could even name them all. His eyes were the only things that gave away how he felt. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and she contemplated what she was about to do. She didn't think she would regret it.

Leaning forward a little, Hermione touched her lips to Draco's. A tingle ran down her spine and she pressed her lips against his harder. At first he didn't respond and Hermione started to pull back, embarrassed that he wasn't doing anything. Before she could completely break the connection, he plunged one of his hands into her thick hair and pulled her back to him. He nipped at her bottom lip, asking her to allow him to enter. She parted her lips and tentatively touched his cheek. As the kiss deepened and the energy between them increased, Hermione grabbed his shoulder and dug her nails into him. He didn't even wince, only shivered at the sensation.

Hermione was the first to pull back, gasping for breath and glancing around to make sure that no teachers had seen them. Draco grinned at her - that lopsided smile she knew that she could get used to seeing - and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Hermione," he began, getting used to using her first name. "I have a question. You don't have to answer right away, but it would be nice to know by tomorrow night."

"Yes, Draco?" Hermione said, using his first name for the first time as well. She liked it. She liked it a lot more than she thought she would.

"Would you be willing to be my date to the dance this Saturday?"

Hermione hesitated for a second. She nodded though and was glad she did so because the smile that lit up his face was like seeing the sun after a week of cloudy skies. She wasn't sure what this meant for the two of them, but she knew that she wasn't confused anymore about how she felt or whether she cared that it was _Draco Malfoy_ that had kissed her. She knew how she felt now.

Hermione Granger fancied Draco Malfoy. And soon the whole school would know.

* * *

**Author's Note:** There's a poll on my profile page. If you're a Twilight fan, you might want to check it out. Thanks.


	6. Opposite Gender Day

**Dislcaimer:** I own nothing. Except for non-matching socks.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's been so long! Well, longer than normal. I haven't had internet for the past few days, so I haven't really been able to post anything. In light of that, I've decided that I'm going to make this a longer chapter than normal, as a kind of way to make up for the wait. :) Oh, and the description of their dresses isn't going to be until the actual day of the dance, so it won't be for another chapter or so after this one. That's why I didn't describe them here or in the previous chapters except to say their colors. That is all. Enjoy!

**Six. Opposite Gender Day.**

"I hate this. So much," Ginny mumbled grumpily as she walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast on Thursday morning. Both of her hands were tightly gripping the belt loops of her jeans to keep them from falling down and her shirt was three sizes too large. Her tennis shoes clomped noisily on the stairs, and the hat on her head kept slipping down over her eyes because it was too large. Not to mention that she had no makeup on whatsoever. The only consolation Ginny could find through all of her pain and suffering that morning was that the boys were going to be wearing skirts and dresses and had to wear makeup.

Hermione rolled her eyes, her hands holding up her own pants as well. "It's not too bad. I'm sure we can find some kind of spell to make these pants stay up eventually... Not to mention that this evening we get our dresses back from the tailor that Pansy had them sent back to Monday night."

Ginny shrugged and had to nod to Hermione in agreement. The pair was dressed in practically identical get-ups, though Hermione's varied in color from Ginny's. Throughout the halls, everyone was wearing things like this, but they had yet to see a single boy.

The night before had been enlightening as well as confusing for Hermione. She didn't consider herself and Draco to be together, though she certainly _had_ liked kissing him. But there was definitely something between them now that she had come around and given him a chance. He seemed like he really had changed to an extent. He was still a git, but the war had proven that he wasn't really as evil as most people thought. Draco had started the year out better. There weren't any murmurings about how he had tormented a first or second year into being his slave for the year, only confused murmurings about how he _hadn't_ for the first time since his third year. Since he no longer had Crabbe and Goyle to follow him loyally around and do his bidding, he had made new friends in Slytherin as well as in the other houses. Hermione didn't know if the war had had that much of an effect on him, or if he was just trying to make up for his past transgressions. Either way, no one was complaining. Even Harry had started to see him differently. But Ron couldn't get over the past, unsurprisingly enough.

Upon their arrival at the Great Hall, they caught their first glance of any of the boys dressed as girls. Some had gone with a pair of skinny jeans, but more of them were wearing kilts or dresses and looking very uncomfortable. All of them were wearing makeup though. Some of them had done it themselves and it looked atrocious. Seamus Finnigan was one of these poor souls who hadn't been able to get any help from a female to do the makeup he wore. Stewart Ackerly, a fourth year, looked insanely done up and Hermione couldn't begin to guess who had done his makeup, but at least it was well-done.

"Gin, check out Seamus," Hermione said into her friend's ear. A few seconds later, Ginny had found Seamus in the crowded room and started to cackle unabashedly. Hermione clapped a hand over Ginny's mouth, but not before they had attracted the attention of half the room. She smiled nervously and yanked Ginny over to their table.

Once seated, Hermione removed her hand from over Ginny's mouth. "That was rude," Ginny said.

"So was laughing at Seamus," Hermione fired back. Ginny shrugged.

"He looked funny."

"So do we." Hermione and Ginny turned around to see who had spoken to them and they both nearly fell off of the bench when they saw Harry and Ron.

Harry was wearing a hot pink, skin-tight dress that was shorter than it should have been and showed off way too much of his legs. Which he had shaved, just for the occasion. He had magicked his hair to grow faster than usual and it all now reached his shoulders. His makeup made him look like a drag queen - which he was, Hermione supposed - and the only way that someone could tell that he was a boy was his broad shoulders, voice, and Seeker's body. Hermione was afraid to look at his shoes, which were also hot pink and three inch heels. Ron, on the other hand, was wearing a frumpy dress that Ginny thought she could remember their mother wearing. He wore brown, sensible shoes and had even worn a bonnet over all of his hair. Whoever had done Harry's makeup had also done Ron's, because it was much too extravagant for the clothes he was wearing.

"What are you wearing, Ron?" Ginny managed to say through her cackles.

"It's one of Mum's old dresses," he replied angrily. He was annoyed that he even had to dress up today. No one in their right minds would have thought of this, which made it a normal idea of Dumbledore's. "She wouldn't send me anything better."

"Not even one of Ginny's dresses?" Hermione asked. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You know I don't really _own_ any dresses, 'Mione," Ginny said. "There was nothing that Ron _could_ borrow even if Mum would have let him."

"Oh," Hermione said, sort of surprised. "Not even a dress from a dance?"

"We've always rented them. Mum never saw the point in _buying_ the dress if I was only going to wear it once. So after I wore it to the dance, she sent it back to the shop."

"That's awful," Hermione said, her comment directed at Ron. "You could have asked me for a dress, you know."

Ron ignored Hermione's statement and sat down next to her. Hermione looked at Ginny and Harry, confused. Harry shook his head and leaned over to whisper, "He didn't ask because you were always in the library studying with Malfoy. And you know that he can't stand Malfoy, so he won't say anything to you if you bring up something that might involve him."

Hermione turned to glare at Ron but he continued to ignore her and started to eat. She rolled her eyes and decided that she would have to tell Draco that she was spending the evening in the common room tonight. It was probably better that way anyways, since the dresses were coming back in that day. Pansy would be there, so it wouldn't be too atrocious. She had always been able to get Ron into a good mood and make him see how petty he was being about things.

Across the room, Pansy was doing her best not to laugh at Draco. Not because he looked horrible, but because he could have actually pulled off being a girl. His features had always seemed a bit feminine to her. That was to be expected in a family that had aristocratic features like the Malfoys, but the fact of the matter remained that Draco could have passed for female if it wasn't for his muscles and shoulders. He was wearing a black dress, which was worse for him because it made him look slimmer and more like a girl, and a pair of black flats. His hair hadn't been magicked longer, and he wasn't wearing a wig. It fell softly in its normal way around his face, which had very little makeup on it.

Draco glared at her smirking face. "Something funny, Parkinson?" he asked. Pansy shook her head and looked down at her food. "Good. Because if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were laughing at my clothes when I could easily do the same to you for yours."

"Oh, shut it, Draco," Pansy said and rolled her eyes. She was wearing an outfit quite similar to those of Hermione and Ginny and knew that it couldn't look half as bad as all the boys. "You know that mine isn't as bad as yours."

"Yes, but it's still funny to see," he said back. "Especially on someone like yourself who never even walks into the common room without makeup on."

Pansy stuck her nose into the air and turned to her right to talk to Malcolm Baddock, a fourth year who looked uncomfortable in the clothes that he had to wear for the day. Draco smirked triumphantly and was immediately left to his own thoughts, which quickly turned to the previous night in the library. The talk that he and Hermione had had the night before had been very eye-opening to the way she felt about him. When they had left the library, he could tell that she was still confused about the way she was feeling and he had resolved not to try to rush things. He hadn't told anyone that they were to go to the dance together and, judging from the lack of whispers about it, neither had Hermione.

"Pansy," Draco said. She turned back to look at him. "You were right."

With that, he stood from the table and walked out of the Great Hall. Hermione noticed him leaving and quietly excused herself from the table. She walked leisurely out of the Great Hall, but increased her pace upon exiting the room so that she could catch up with him. He was heading down towards the dungeons, either to class or to his own common room. Either way, Hermione needed to catch him before he got to either place.

"Hey!" she said, trying to get his attention. "Malf- Draco!"

He turned around and looked at her, surprised that she was there. "Hermione?"

It was odd to see him in a dress, and she couldn't imagine how weird it was to see her in boys' clothes as well. This Spirit Week thing wasn't exactly Dumbledore's best idea. But she had to admit that it had made things at Hogwarts much more fun and interesting.

She chuckled a little as she finally caught up to him. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be in the library this evening. Ron's getting annoyed because I haven't really seen him lately. And the dresses Pansy ordered for the dance are supposed to come back in from alterations today. So we'll be trying those on."

"Alright," Draco said, trying to sound upbeat. He couldn't help but be a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to actually talk to her that evening since it was the only time they really got a chance to speak, but he knew Ron was important to her and she didn't want him mad at her. Even if he was a Weasel. And he could always get Pansy to deliver a little message from him to her if he wanted.

"I'm really sorry it's so short-notice," Hermione said. "Normally I would have been organized enough to be able to tell you last night, but I only just now figured this out."

Draco genuinely laughed, a sound that Hermione welcomed because it was so rarely heard. Short-notice? That would have been if she hadn't told him this until ten minutes before dinner that evening was over. And aside from that, it wasn't like they were going on a _date_. They had merely planned on studying. There wasn't anything the matter with her going to do her own thing for the evening.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said. It was then that he realized that they were just standing in the middle of the corridor for no reason. He started walking the direction he had been going before Hermione stopped him, motioning for her to come with him. He wasn't sure how to approach the subject of the dance, so he just went for blunt. "So when do you plan on telling Potter and Weasel about me being your date for Saturday evening?"

Hermione blushed. "I hadn't really planned on it. I'm definitely telling Ginny and Pansy, so I suppose I'll tell them if they ask. They're so oblivious that even if Gin and Pans tell them about it to their face, Harry and Ron won't know what they're talking about. So it's more likely to be a surprise. You can't imagine how funny it is to see their faces when I actually have a date to dances and they don't know about it. Like fourth year at the Yule Ball. Their faces were priceless when my date turned out to be Viktor Krum. I've always liked surprising them when it comes to things like this. They never believe that anything girly is necessarily my forte - and they're right, usually. "

She was babbling, and that made it much easier for Draco to get lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't begin to imagine the reception he would receive from Harry and Ron if Hermione showed up on his arm without a little warning. He had to admit that the idea was somewhat appealing. He could see how they really felt about him - well, how Harry felt about him. He was perfectly aware of how Ron felt about him. Not that he minded the loss of the Weasel's good opinion.

Hermione did all the talking until they arrived at the Potions room, where they parted ways and fell silent. It was the last time they would be able to speak all day, since Hermione was normally surrounded by her Gryffindor friends from that point and Draco was likewise surrounded by his Slytherin friends. Since neither group knew of their going to the dance together yet, it would seem odd for them to be around each other too much. The only person who stood a chance of connecting the groups was Pansy, but she spent most of her time with the Gryffindor's.

That's why Draco nodded to Hermione, resolved not to look at her again until they could speak, when the first student walked through the doors of the classroom after their arrival.

0000

Draco hadn't been able to keep that resolve. He had glanced at her throughout the day and he was sure that she knew he was looking at her. She refused to look back at him, though the corners of her lips had turned up every now and again, as if she were holding back a grin. This was all Draco needed to stay relaxed about her lack of eye-contact with him. Normally a guy would have worried about a girl not wanting to look at him, but the fact that she was doing it on purpose - the same thing he had tried to do, but she was obviously having more success - made it about as meddlesome as a butterfly on a cloudless spring day. That is to say, he knew it was there, but he really didn't mind it.

That evening at dinner, Draco was quietly looking at his plate and trying not to look across the room at Hermione when Pansy brought up the subject she had been apt to talk about the past few days: Hermione, of course. His plan was shot, and he glanced over at her before quickly looking back at Pansy.

"Now that you've established that I'm right," Pansy began. "What do you intend to do about it?"

"I've already done something," Draco said with a smirk. Pansy looked surprised.

"Oh? And what is that you've done?"

"I don't know that she wants me to tell people just yet. I'll let her break the news to you this evening." Draco was grinning now, happy to know something Pansy didn't. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like being left in the dark, especially by two people she had been trying to get together. Obviously Hermione knew something and wasn't telling anyone about it. And something had happened; Draco had just told her as much. She just didn't know _what_ it was that he had done.

"Draco," she said sweetly. "You know you can tell me anything. I won't tell a soul."

"I wouldn't believe that for half a second even if I had just met you, Pansy," Draco said. "You just want to know what's going on between Granger and me."

"I just want to be able to help if you need it," Pansy said innocently, blinking her eyes more than usual. Draco, in turn, rolled his own.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to ask Granger." He still wasn't sure whether he should say 'Hermione' to his friends, or if that would give it away that they were talking to each other at least civilly. That wasn't something he was sure Hermione wanted people to know just yet. Pansy was silent for a few minutes before attacking him with a question.

"Did you ask her to the dance?" she asked quickly. She judged his reaction, and when his eyes widened in surprise that she had guessed it, she knew she was right. "_OH MY GOD! _And she said...?"

Draco cleared his throat and looked at his plate of food. He waited a few seconds to answer and cleared his throat again. "She said yes."

"Excuse me," Pansy said, collecting herself a bit before shooting out of her seat and across the room. She couldn't believe it. She absolutely _couldn't_ believe that Draco had actually asked Hermione and that she had really said yes. "Hermione Jean Granger!"

Hermione cringed at the use of her middle name and turned around to face Pansy, quite sure of what was coming next. She waited for Pansy to scream the news and make it public before she got the chance to tell Harry, Ron, and Ginny herself. The damage that would do would take her all of Friday to fix. Maybe even Saturday.

Instead, Pansy merely screamed, "Congratulations!" and leaned over to hug Hermione. She then squeezed herself in between Ron and a much younger first year. She was beaming, but wouldn't tell anyone why she was so happy or why she had congratulated Hermione. The questions eventually turned on Hermione and she blushed for the second time that day. She turned her head down and didn't say a word to her friends. Ultimately, she was tired of the interrogation and looked up at her friends.

"I'll tell you later," Hermione finally said, "in the common room. I'll thank you not to bother me until then." The tone in her voice made her wishes final, and the conversation moved on to the last day of Spirit Week and the subsequent dance that weekend. No one bothered to ask Hermione if she had a date, but Pansy kept throwing her looks that were loaded with meaning as the conversation went on. As the end of dinner approached, Pansy stood and smoothed out her boys' clothes.

"Well," she announced. "I'm going to get our dresses from my room. I'll be up to the Tower in about fifteen minutes. I'll see you guys there."

Everyone said goodbye to the dark-haired girl as she left the room. A few minutes later, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione stood to leave as well. Their conversation continued on the weekend's festivity while Hermione was suspiciously quiet. As they walked into the common room, Ginny whirled on the older girl.

"Well?" Ginny immediately asked. "What was Pansy congratulating you for?"

Hermione started, surprised that Ginny had asked so soon. But they _were _in the common room, which made it fair game. Hermione sighed and looked at the carpeted floor. She mumbled that Draco Malfoy had asked her to dance and that she had accepted, but when she looked up she could see that no one had understood her. She took a deep breath before she started to repeat herself.

"Draco Malf -"

Pansy burst through the portrait hole, carrying three hangers. There was plastic around each dress so that no one could see them - mostly so that the boys couldn't get a peek before the actual dance. She was still beaming as she skipped over to Hermione and the others.

"Did you tell them yet?" she asked brightly.

"I was about to," Hermione said nervously. Pansy encouraged her with her eyes and Hermione took another deep breath. "Draco Malfoy asked me to the dance this weekend."

"And you said...?" Ginny prodded.

"Well, I said yes."

The room was silent around her for a moment until Ginny began clapping and jumping up and down. Harry looked perplexed, but he took a step forward and gave a hug to nonverbally tell her that he was happy for her and that it was okay with him. Hermione turned her eyes to Ron, waiting for this reaction. His face had become red and blotchy with anger, and his hands were balled up into shaking fists. She immediately cringed back into Pansy and Ginny, hoping for a little protection.

"You little," Ron started but couldn't even finish his thought. "You know what kind of person he is and you _still _said yes? I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Ron stormed out of the common room and up to his dorm. Hermione sighed and looked at the ground, hurt but not surprised at his reaction. Harry gave a look that told her he was sorry before he bolted up the stairs after Ron to attempt to calm the other boy down. Pansy shook her head but said nothing as she pulled Hermione and Ginny with her up to their dorm to try on their gowns.

"He'll come around," Ginny said as they climbed the stairs. "He's just got baggage from the war. Merlin knows why, but he still doesn't like Malfoy. Even though he's proven himself already."

Hermione nodded, but didn't speak. If he would come around, why did it feel like she had just lost her best friend? She had never seen him so angry with her. Sure, she had always been able to push his buttons and get him riled up. But it had never been to this extent. It worried her. Did he really hate Draco _that_ much?

The look on Ginny's face told Hermione that the same thoughts were going through her head.


	7. School Spirit Day and Hogsmeade

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for a Yorkie puppy.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Seven. School Spirit Day and Hogsmeade.**

Ron didn't talk to Hermione the next morning, so she didn't even bother asking if Harry had managed to calm him down. Harry merely shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Ginny wrapped Hermione in a big hug. But none of it was helping her. The war was over, so there was no reason for Ron to be acting this way. It wasn't as if Hermione was "fraternizing with the enemy", like Ron said she had been when she had gone to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum. All her other friends were happy for her because she was happy, even if they didn't exactly understand or approve of her choice. Why couldn't Ron do that? They were supposed to be best friends, and best friends were supposed to be there for each other and accept each other no matter what.

The previous evening was supposed to have been fun. The dresses arrived, they fit perfectly, and they looked great. But Hermione just couldn't get in the mood for fun. She had eventually just sat down and started studying and doing her homework. She had felt Ginny and Pansy staring at her, but they didn't say anything. They were just there, and their presence was comforting for her.

Hermione was quiet throughout breakfast. She was sitting on one side of Ginny, a first year that she didn't know on her other side. Harry was sitting next to Ron and Ginny. When Pansy arrived, she dropped a small note into Hermione's lap from around her shoulder before taking her seat next to Ron and looking at the brown-haired girl pointedly. Hermione was almost scared to open it, worried that it might be a Howler that Ron had made for her to explain his anger. She took a deep breath before she unfolded it and immediately noticed that the writing was much too neat to be Ron's. She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and began to read.

_Hogsmeade for dinner this evening? _

Her head shot up and immediately swiveled over to the Slytherin table across the room. Draco was watching her intently. Though his note had been brief, it set butterflies off in her stomach that he actually wanted to be seen with her in public and spend time outside of classes with her. Part of her worried that this was a scheme of his to embarrass her, but he hadn't done anything to make that seem likely. He'd seemed genuine, so Hermione caught his eye and nodded. A smile spread across his face, and soon she wore the same expression.

She knew that this would make Ron even more angry with her. And as much as she cared about him, if he couldn't be happy for her then he would just have to learn to deal with it. Hermione doubted that Ron would let it ruin their whole friendship if Draco and Hermione started dating, but it would definitely drive a wedge between the two of them. Harry, Ginny, and Pansy would try to patch things up as well as they could for her, but it would never be alright until Hermione and Draco were completely done with one another.

Ginny looked at Hermione when she turned back to the Gryffindor table, asking her what the note said silently. Hermione shook her head and mouthed, "I'll tell you later," to the redhead before stuffing the note into the pocket inside her cloak. She finally took a moment to look around the room and had to smile. The tables were overflowing with House colors. There wasn't a single person at the Gryffindor table who wasn't wearing red and gold, aside from Pansy in her green and silver Slytherin colors. Most of the girls had found a red dress and wore gold accessories or shoes. But the boys had gotten much more creative, some even wearing fake lion's heads that they'd magicked to roar when they said a certain word. Even Nearly Headless Nick was getting in the spirit and singing the House song from years and years ago that everyone had forgotten at this point.

The Ravenclaw table looked much more sophisticated and less rowdy than any of the other tables. Since they were considered the smartest House, it seemed that they had all agreed to be as mature as possibly for School Spirit Day. They were dressed in blue and bronze, which sort of clashed in Hermione's opinion. The Hufflepuff table sort of reminded Hermione of a hoard of bumblebees in all their yellow and black. Some of the first years had even managed to create a badger-bumblebee hybrid sort of get-up to wear. It made Hermione chuckle a little bit. All the way across the Great Hall, the Slytherin table seemed more rowdy than even the Gryffindor table, which surprised Hermione. Normally the Slytherin students would turn their noses up to anything like this, but they all looked like they were really getting into it. They had wrapped fake green snakes around their necks like scarves, and painted their faces half-green, half-silver. They were laughing boisterously as they ate, and Hermione was almost jealous.

The Heads of the four Houses were also decked out for Spirit Day. Because Snape had been killed during the war, Professor Slughorn had been given the position. The teachers who weren't Heads dressed in the colors of the House that they had been in when they were students.

The Hall was filled with the sounds of laughter and the occasional lion's roar. Hermione could already tell that the day was going to be wasted. The teachers wouldn't be able to get anyone to pay attention, and for once Hermione was glad for that. It wasn't too often that she wanted to goof around, but she needed to have a good day and forget about everything with Ron.

"I think they may cancel classes this afternoon," Ginny said to Hermione.

"Oh?" Hermione said. "Because everyone's going crazy?" Ginny nodded and Hermione shrugged. "I wouldn't mind."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" the redhead asked, looking at her friend like she was crazy. Hermione laughed.

"I don't know. It's good to have fun sometimes. Besides, I don't see the point of being in classes if you're not going to be learning anything. I can learn more on my own if that's the case."

Ginny rolled her eyes and went back to her meal. That was so typical of Hermione. There was a cacophony of hoots as the owls arrived with the post. A piece of paper zoomed seemingly from nowhere onto Hermione's plate. The handwriting on this note was the same as the one on the note she had gotten earlier.

_Classes are going to be cancelled this afternoon. Hogsmeade for the afternoon and then dinner?_

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned across the room again. She found Draco's stormy grey eyes on her once more. She smirked and nodded, but turned around before she could see his reaction this time. She had to wonder how he knew that classes would be cancelled, but then decided not to ask. He probably had his sneaky ways and that wasn't any of her business just yet. Maybe if they got more serious she would ask him what his biggest secrets were, but right now she couldn't really expect him to tell her.

Someday, though, she hoped she'd know more about him than anyone else had ever known.

0000

Draco had been correct that classes would be cancelled. McGonagall had stepped up to the podium at lunch that afternoon and the room had erupted in cheers. She also announced that students fourth year and above would be allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but that third years and below would be required to stay on the grounds. This elicited cheers from the older students and boos from the younger.

Hermione met Draco at the entrance of the Great Hall once they finished eating at their respective tables and the pair headed for the castle's front exit. He could tell something was bothering her; he had noticed it the first time he'd gotten a closer look at her.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked. It was the first thing he said to her, and she looked surprised at first before she sighed.

"I told everyone that we were going to the dance together tomorrow night," Hermione said. "Ron didn't take it so well... He thinks you're an awful person. And that I'm an idiot. Which would be true - if this was third year. But it's not."

Draco shook his head. He hated that he had to win over someone he couldn't stand. The Weasel was probably his least favorite person at Hogwarts, but he could tell that Hermione wasn't going to be happy unless Ron approved of them talking. He didn't see what the big problem was, really. Hermione was happy, so Ron should be happy for her. It was the same conclusion Hermione had come to, but she was having trouble sticking to her decision not to care whether Ron approved or not. They made an odd pair: a Gryffindor and a Slytherin; red and gold and green and silver; brunette and blond.

As they walked through the crisp air, Hermione couldn't help but feel that fall was on its way. The leaves had started to turn, and the air was growing cooler by the day. She loved fall and winter; they were her favorite seasons. The trip to Hogsmeade was quick and their conversation flowed easily from her friends to his friends to classes and eventually to the books they enjoyed. Hermione was hopelessly romantic and was elated to find that Draco had to admit that he enjoyed a few romantic books every now and then. He had always considered himself to be a lot like Mr. Darcy from _Pride & Prejudice_.

"If you think about it, Draco," Hermione started, "the way we are is a lot like _Pride & Prejudice._ You're this super-rich, super-attractive man that pretty much everyone wants. I'm just a normal girl, not exactly rich and not exactly poor, that you wouldn't even consider being with at the beginning. But obviously that changes. And at first you were rejected, but soon enough you were accepted."

Draco pursed his lips as he thought about it. He had to agree with Hermione, though. Their "relationship" - if you could even call it that - resembled that of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett more than most would expect. Hermione wasn't the most outrageously beautiful girl, but she had her own form of beauty that came from her eyes, of course, and from her knowledge. Draco had always considered himself to be a strong man, and he supposed that could be seen as prideful.

"I suppose you're right," Draco murmured. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course I am," she said jokingly. "I always am."

They had arrived at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where Hermione yanked him through the door by his arm. He wasn't surprised that she wanted to go into this store. She was very learning oriented, and this was probably one of her favorite stores.

"They have the best pheasant quills here," she murmured, running her hand over the feathers of one of them. "But the last time I bought one was fifth year. Ever since then, I've been using pens from the muggle world. I almost want to go back to quills. It feels so...antique."

"So switch back," Draco said as if it was obvious what she should do. "If you do, I'll trade you. Those muggle things seem pretty handy."

"Do my ears deceive me?" Hermione said, shocked. "Did Draco Malfoy just say, in not quite so many words, that he _liked_ something made by muggles? I'd better alert Rita Skeeter. She'll have a field day with this."

"Don't you dare say a single thing to that woman," Draco said, laughing. "She's already obsessed with my family. I don't want to deal with her any more than I already do. 'Sides, those nails are deadly. No wonder she has to use a QuickQuill. She can't hold a normal quill herself because her nails a practically three inches long."

"You got that right," Hermione said, looking at parchment now. She ran her hands over that as well, feeling the softness of the rolls and rolls of it. They had even started selling colorful parchment. One could now get hot pink parchment if they wanted. Hermione didn't really see the point of that unless it was for notes. Professors wouldn't take papers if they were written on anything other than the standard parchment that most students owned.

Thirty minutes later, Draco had grown tired of the store and asked if they could walk down to Zonko's Joke Shop. Hermione sighed but agreed and they quickly left the quill and parchment shop. Zonko's had been boarded up during the war, but they had recently re-opened at the same time as Hogwarts had. They had a booming business since the students really needed a pick-me-up after the war. It was seen as a store to buy anything and everything you needed for a practical joke, and Hermione had to wonder if she should get something to prank Ron with. It might snap him out of the mood he was in because of Draco.

A Dungbomb exploded upon the pair's entrance to the store and Hermione hoped that wasn't an omen about her prank idea for Ron.

0000

That evening, Hermione and Draco took a seat at The Three Broomsticks with their purchases. They ordered two butterbeers before sitting back in their seats to take a break from walking around all afternoon. Hermione grimaced.

"My feet are killing me," she complained.

"Same here," Draco said as he kicked off one of his leather loafers. He pulled his foot up and massaged it, his face mirroring the expression on Hermione's. He finished his ministrations on that foot and kicked his other loafer off to repeat the massage on his other foot.

"But it's okay. Because I have a way to get Ron back for being such a git because of us going to the dance together," Hermione reasoned. She planned to pull her prank the next day in the morning so that Ron would have time to get over it by the dance. Hermione didn't want her prank to effect Pansy's night, so it simply wouldn't do to have something happen to Ron that would put Pansy's fun in jeopardy. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Don't blame me if he ends up even angrier with you than he was in the first place," Draco said, still massaging his foot. "I have no part in this."

"He won't be mad," Hermione said. "He lived with Fred and George his whole life. He should be used to it by now."

"I'm just saying," Draco said. Their drinks arrived and Draco guzzled his down while Hermione took a slow swig. "Not thirsty?"

"Obviously not as thirsty as you." Hermione laughed and eyed his empty mug. Draco shrugged and gave her a "What can you do?" look. "We should probably head back up to the school after this, though. It's getting dark outside."

"Afraid of the dark, are you?" Draco asked, meaning it playfully. When Hermione looked at him uneasily, he realized that he'd hit the nail on the head. "You _are?_ Yet somehow you helped defeat the _Dark_ Lord."

"That was different. 'Dark' is just a part of his name. It doesn't mean that there's a lack of light to see things by."

"Yes, but I still find that surprising. But don't worry. I'll keep you safe."

Hermione looked at him, sort of perplexed by his statement. She had never had a boy tell her that in the context that he meant it. Sure, Harry and Ron had told her that they would keep her safe during the war, but this was different. This was keeping her safe in a way that meant he actually liked her. Draco looked back at her, equally confused by her confusion. But Hermione just shook her head and Draco didn't ask her anything about it even though he could tell she was confused.

When Draco finished his second butterbeer and Hermione finished her first, they gathered their things and left money on the table to pay for their drinks before they headed back up to the school. The sun had just passed the tree line and it was beginning to get dark. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and watched her feet as they walked. Draco immediately noticed how uncomfortable she was and put his arm around her shoulders. They were slim and their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, even side-to-side. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile before she unwrapped her arms from around herself to put one around his waist. He couldn't help but grin in triumph that she was beginning to trust him.

Now. To get Ron's approval.


	8. Pranked

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Except for horrible sleep patterns.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Author's Note:** Second to last chapter! It's kind of a depressing thought for some reason. Sorry it took so long. It's probably not my best chapter ever.. In fact, I'm kind of disappointed with my writing on this one. But I hope it's not as bad as I think it is. And it's sort of short. But I promise that the next (and last) chapter will be extra long to make up for it. I promise. Well. Enjoy!

**Eight. Pranked.**

Hermione surveyed the damage she had done to Ron from across the common room. She kept her face neutral, not wanting to betray herself as the culprit. He looked shocked and Hermione couldn't help but be a little proud of herself. She had rigged the Dungbomb to explode when Ron touched his bag in the common room. But instead of a cloud of foul-smelling smoke, the bomb drenched Ron in slime. Bright pink slime, at that. The entire common room erupted into cackles, but Hermione wasn't done yet. When Ron turned around and leaned on the chair next to him, a cloud of feathers fell from above him. Hermione had charmed them all to be attracted to the slime, so every feather was stuck to Ron. The Invisibility Cloak, which Hermione had draped over the feathers so no one would see them floating in the air, began to fall.

"_Accio Invisibility Cloak,_" Hermione whispered. No one seemed to noticed the cloak float over to her. They were too busy watching Ron in his predicament. The growl that he let out in anger and frustration almost set Hermione rolling on the ground laughing. But she contained herself. Ron began to kick at the carpet in front of him before he grabbed his bag again, pulling it up to him. This time, sparkles exploded around him and coated him. Exasperated, he gave up and just left his bag sitting in the common room. He trudged off to towards the boys' lavatory to wash up, and Hermione finally let herself lean against the wall and laugh so hard she cried. Ginny noticed from where she stood across the room with Parvati Patil and came over to investigate.

"What's so funny, Hermione?" Parvati asked, sliding up next to Hermione against the wall. Hermione merely shook her head and clamped her hand over her mouth. Ginny fixed her with a look that was meant to scare the information out of her, but Ginny was having trouble not smiling. In the end, Parvati and Ginny just assumed that it had been Hermione who played the prank and began to cackle with their friend.

"I can't believe you did that!" Ginny exclaimed amidst the loud laughs. Hermione just shook her head again and tried to catch her breath.

"I mean, he was mad at me," Hermione explained. "Doing this was just a way to get his mind off Draco and make him get over it. Plus, in about two hours he'll be laughing over it with Harry at lunch before they get ready for the dance tonight."

Ginny shrugged and looked at Parvati. "She's right. Ron moves on pretty quickly once he's faced with distractions. His brain doesn't wrap itself around very many things at one time."

"I noticed that when he took Padma to the Yule Ball during fourth year. He's not the brightest person ever, is he?" Parvati said. "Though he _was_ in a rather foul mood that night because Hermione was at the dance with Viktor Krum and not him. I can't really blame him though. He had the hugest secret crush on you, 'Mione. I'm fairly sure you two fancied each other. But you've both moved on, obviously."

"Don't even bring up the Yule Ball. That was absolutely atrocious," Hermione groaned. "I don't know what I was thinking when I went through that phase of liking Krum. He was _such_ a neanderthal."

"He was a professional quidditch player, though," Ginny offered. "An attractive one."

"Yes, and I _hate_ flying. _Especially_ on the broomstick of someone with a brain the size of my pinky nail," Hermione shot back. That seemed to quiet Ginny and Parvati, who had run out of things to recommend Viktor with. The pair shrugged. It obviously wasn't a big deal anymore since Viktor was no longer in the picture.

"Let's go down to The Three Broomsticks," Ginny suggested out of the blue. "We should go get Pansy and just go hang out there until it's time for lunch."

"I'll go get Padma," Parvati said before she rushed off. Hermione nodded and stuffed the Invisibility Cloak into her bag before she and Ginny starting walking toward the common room door. Padma and Parvati caught up with them a few minutes later and the quartet exited the room and headed towards the dungeons to get Pansy. Luckily, they ran into the dark-haired girl on the moving staircases and their party increased by one. Once Pansy joined them, Ginny animatedly told her about Hermione's joke. In typical Pansy fashion, she laughed instead of feeling bad for her boyfriend.

"I can't believe you think it's funny," Hermione said. "I thought you'd be mad at me. He _is_ your boyfriend, after all."

"Are you kidding me, 'Mione?" Pansy replied when she stopped giggling. "He's been a git about this whole situation. He deserved it."

Hermione shrugged as they made their way out of the castle and down towards Hogsmeade. They arrived at The Three Broomsticks a few minutes later and took a seat in a booth in the corner, where they could talk without interruptions from people who entered the pub. Anyone who walked in wouldn't be able to see the five of them unless they were _really_ looking - which might happen if Ron ever washed the sparkles off of himself and came looking for the prankster. Hermione almost wanted that to happen so they could just make up already.

The girls spent the next hour drinking butterbeer and talking about the dance, their dates, their dresses, and anything else that crossed their minds. It was around two in the afternoon when Harry and Ron walked through the pub's door with purposeful looks on their faces. They looked around the room for a few moments before their eyes settled on the quintet huddled in the corner and they started over to them quickly. Hermione immediately started giggling at Ron because he still had traces of glitter stuck to his skin and there were a few feathers sticking out of his head. But she had to admit that he had gotten the majority of the mess off of himself and if he took another shower before the dance that night, he'd be completely free of feathers, slime, and glitter in no time at all. Luckily the other four girls at the table also laughed at him as he approached, so Hermione didn't give herself away just yet. She wanted to keep him clueless for just a little while longer.

"Hello ladies," Harry said when he arrived at their table. The giggles immediately stopped but Pansy couldn't help but snort as she tried to contain the laughter. Ginny smiled at Harry though, mostly because it was the only way she would stop laughing but also because she was happy to see him. Ron walked up behind Harry and looked around the table for anyone looking suspicious. Hermione made it a point not to look at Ron, keeping her eyes trained on Harry.

Without greeting Pansy or any of the other girls, Ron grabbed Hermione's arm and forced her to look at him. She was sitting furthest into the booth, her shoulder against the wall, so Ron had to lean over Ginny and Parvati to get to her. Their eyes met, and Hermione tried to look surprised and innocent at the same time. "We need to talk," Ron said, his lip twitching towards a smile as he tried to sound angry. Hermione nodded and Ginny and Parvati allowed her to get out of the booth. She followed Ron over to an empty table and sat down across from him.

"What's all this about, Ron?" Hermione asked, keeping up her charade for as long as she could. Ron just looked at her as his lips twitched. She could tell that he was trying not to smile because his eyes were sparkling like they did when he laughed or was really happy. It was a welcome look, one Hermione didn't see directed at her often. He usually only got that look when he was with Pansy because she took his mind off of his brother's death. Hermione was glad that things were going to be normal between herself and Ron again. She could already tell it would be from the look in his eyes. Ron continued to stare at her for two minutes, not speaking, and waited for her to come clean about the prank. He knew that Hermione would eventually spill the beans.

"Okay, I did it. Happy?" Hermione finally said, grinning at him like a cheshire cat.

"Why would you do something like that?" Ron asked.

"To make you stop hating me."

Ron looked at her for a moment. The expression on his face made her think that he was trying to figure out if she was mentally unstable or not. Hermione didn't know what to make of the look, so she just looked back at him sheepishly and waited for him to say something.

"Hermione, I could never hate you," Ron finally said. "Sure, I get mad as hell at you sometimes, and you don't always make sense to me. You should know that you're the sister I never had -"

"You have Ginny," Hermione cut in, but Ron shook his head.

"She doesn't count. She's practically a boy. She's got the right hook to be considered a bloke," Ron reasoned. "Anyways, you're the sister I never had. I can't imagine not being close to you. You should know that. I know I overreacted about the Malfoy thing, but you had to know I wasn't going to take it too well. You also know I would get over it and just be happy for you."

Hermione looked at Ron. She took him in, shocked into silence. She'd always considered Ron to be the most immature of the people she knew. But now she took him in for everything he was. Everything that the war had made him. He still looked like the same old Ron she had known before the war, plus a few new scars, but he had finally grown up. He was a lot more mature than she really gave him credit for being.

"Ron, I...I don't know what to say right now," Hermione murmured. "I feel like I'm seeing a whole new you right now."

Ron stood from the table, smirking. He offered Hermione his hand to help her up so they could go back to the table with their friends. He just shook his head at her before merely saying, "War changes people. I grew up, 'Mione."

Grasping Ron's proffered hand, Hermione stood from the table. "I'm glad, Ron. Really, I am. I feel like this year could really be good. A normal year."

Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders and squeezed her to his side in a quick embrace. "I know, 'Mione. I know."


	9. May I Have This Dance?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Except for missing wisdom teeth.

**The Challenge** (posted by Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini)**:** Dumbledore wants to lighten up spirits after the war. He does this by making it mandatory for teachers and students to partake in Spirit Week. (**Author's Note: **I tweaked it a little to make it Deathly Hollows compatible by having his idea carried out by Professor McGonagall, so I figured I was close enough. I also added the dance myself, just to make it so that Spirit Week was leading up to something like it does at my school.)  
**Requirements:** Spirit Week: Monday-Little Kid Day; Tuesday-Social Swap Day; Wednesday-Twin Day; Thursday-Opposite Gender Day; Friday-School Spirit Day. Must be 5 chapters or more. Harry/Ginny, Ron/Pansy, Blaise/Luna, and Draco/Hermione. Draco and Hermione MUST kiss. Must have a happy ending.

**Author's Note:** I'm trying to decide whether to do another chapter after this as a sort of epilogue at the end of their last year at Hogwarts. Not really sure if that's going to happen yet. But we'll see. Enjoy the (probably) last chapter! Thanks for reading!

**Nine. May I Have This Dance?**

Saturday couldn't fly past fast enough for Hermione. After her conversation with Ron in The Three Broomsticks, she had paid for her butterbeer and headed back up to the castle with Pansy and Ginny to get ready for the dance. Ginny was even more surprised than Hermione by the maturity that Ron had shown in the pub and also a little offended that she was considered a boy in Ron's eyes. But then she had to concede that she had beaten Ron wrestling a fair number of times and admit that it was fair to see her that way. Pansy just nodded and Hermione suspected that she had something to do with the way Ron had handled things, but she said nothing about her suspicions.

When they got back to the castle, the girls separated and headed for their Houses. Pansy was to meet Hermione and Ginny up in Gryffindor's common room in fifteen minutes with her dress and makeup so they could all get ready together, but neither Hermione nor Ginny thought she would be there on time. She'd probably enjoy a quick snog with Ron, who had followed them back up to the castle with Harry, before she came up to the room. This in mind, Hermione shook her head and waved her hand at Ginny's pleading look. Beaming, Ginny immediately skipped off to find her own boyfriend and get in a bit of snogging for a bit.

Hermione hadn't seen Draco all day and found herself somewhat bothered by that. They had spent the evening together in Hogsmeade the night before, and in Hermione's opinion it had been wonderful. He hadn't tried anything she was uncomfortable with even though she knew he was far more experienced than she was, and she had to respect him for that. But she almost wished that he would have at least kissed her goodnight.

_We're not dating,_ Hermione reminded herself. _I'm not even sure we're talking. We're just going to a dance together. For all I know, he might just want to go to the dance and then be done with things. Be rational here. He also might just want to make himself look better after the war by going to a dance with one of 'The Golden Trio.' Oh, listen to me. I sound like Ron... I'm supposed to look for the best in people. Stop it, Hermione._

She arrived at the portrait hole and started to say the password as she looked at the ground and chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Halfway through the password (peppermints), a hand clamped down over her mouth and silenced her. She squealed futilely and started to struggle in an attempt to get away from whoever it was behind her. It was obviously a boy behind her because he was stronger than any girl Hermione had ever met, including Ginny. But even though she could sense his strength, he didn't place too much pressure on her mouth as it would cause pain. Hermione assumed that he meant no harm and stopped her struggles, figuring that he just wanted to talk in private.

She found herself pulled gently into a small alcove and turned around to face her captor. But before she could take in his face or body, she found his lips pressed to her own. She'd only ever been kissed this ferociously twice in her life: first by Viktor Krum during the Yule Ball (and _that_ had been one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life) and the second time when she had kissed Draco in the library mere days ago. That being the freshest memory in her mind, she could tell from the way he nipped at her bottom lip that it was, in fact, Draco who had pinned her against the wall and started snogging her in earnest. Her hands began to roam over his chest of their own volition as he pushed her against the wall harder and brought their bodies closer together.

Draco pulled away all too soon for Hermione's preference and before he could get too far away, Hermione grabbed his face and turned it back to her own for a few more seconds of snogging. They finally broke apart, each breathless, and looked at each other.

"I have to go," Draco murmured. "Your friends will be here soon. And you need to be in the common room when they get here."

Hermione nodded, not sure that she could speak. Draco slipped away from her, his eyes lingering on her face before he turned and stalked lithely down the corridor toward the dungeons. Hermione remained in the alcove for a moment to collect herself, then stepped out, murmured the password, and entered the common room. She didn't even think she could walk up the stairs, so she pulled her wand out instead.

"_Accio dress,_" she said and waited for a moment for her dress to arrive in her hands. She sat back into an armchair and fixed her hair so that it didn't look too much like she had just been snogged senseless.

_Well, I suppose that answers the question of whether he's using me or not,_ Hermione thought, a smile stretching itself across her face unbidden. A moment or two later, Ginny arrived at the common room in a state of dishevel that she quickly corrected. She smiled sheepishly at Hermione, not noticing anything out of place with her friend. Ginny took the stairs to their room two at a time and returned with her dress just as Pansy walked into the common room with her own dress and makeup.

"Shall we?" Ginny asked from where she stood at the bottom of the stairs. The two older girls nodded and followed Ginny upstairs to get ready.

0000

"Merlin, I'm nervous," Harry whispered to Ron as they waited for their dates in the common room. Ron nodded his agreement, but Harry thought he looked much more confident now than he had before the Yule Ball. Maybe it was the new dress robes, but Harry got the feeling that Ron wasn't worried about tonight at all. Which was odd, because Hermione would be on the arm of a man Ron hadn't been able to stand since he was born. Ron hadn't told him what he and Hermione had said to each other at the pub earlier that day, but they had looked fine when they had walked back to the table, so Harry had tried not to worry about it. But he knew that Ron still didn't like the fact that Draco Malfoy was her date to the dance that evening. He also knew that Hermione was stubborn, so once she had made up her mind to go to the dance with Malfoy, there hadn't been a chance of anyone changing that decision.

"Just breathe, man," Ron murmured. It almost sounded like he was telling himself to breathe and not his best friend, which was actually what he was doing. He planned on keeping an eye on the newest couple - if you could even call Hermione and Draco that - all night to make sure that nothing went wrong. If it did, Ron would probably knock Malfoy's head so hard he was facing backwards. And there was nothing Hermione or anyone could say to change his mind.

"I'm trying," Harry replied. "It's not exactly easy in this bow tie."

"Fair enough," Ron murmured. "I'm having trouble with that myself. I don't think I tied it right..."

"It looks right to me."

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel like I did it right."

"So? No one can tell."

Ron grimaced and tried to loosen the bow tie around his neck when he noticed some movement on the girls' stairwell. He and Harry immediately looked up at the stairs, hoping to see their dates but seeing Parvati and Padma Patil instead. They were instantly reminded of the Yule Ball and groaned. But directly behind the twins were Pansy and Ginny. They were talking to one another animatedly, waving their hands around and laughing.

Harry's mouth dropped as he took in Ginny's appearance. Her dress was simple, but it fit her in all the right places. It was strapless with a slightly sweetheart neckline and the color set off her blue eyes and red hair. The dress was just tight enough to hint at her figure, but loose enough to leave enough to the imagination to catch attention. It cut off three inches above her knee and Harry couldn't help but follow the length of her leg down to her gold three inch heels. He could feel her eyes on him and looked up to meet them with his own. Her makeup was done perfectly, her eyes lined with a charcoal black liner and her lips glossed to perfection. Her hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders and halfway down her back. It was like she was walking down the stairs in slow motion.

Ron was flabbergasted to see Pansy at the top of the stairs as well. Pansy's red dress had one strap that split into two when it got to her back, connecting to both sides of her dress in the back. The fabric was plain red until just below her ribs, where it then sparkled down to where it ended two inches above her knees. The ensemble finished with a pair of black four inch heels. She had left her straight hair as it was and had chosen to play up her face instead, her dark brown eyes lined darkly with black and her eyeshadow more dramatic than Ginny's. Her lips were also glossed, but she had used a touch of the snake venom gloss Hermione brought from the muggle world to make them a deeper red.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, the pair of girls giggled and walked over to their boyfriends.

"Hello," they said in unison. Harry and Ron could only nod, unsure that their tongues would work if they tried to speak.

"Hermione should be down in a few minutes," Ginny said. "She had to finish putting her shoes on. And she's kind of freaking out right now."

"Why?" Ron managed to choke out, never taking his eyes off of Pansy.

"She's not sure she looks good enough," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "But I'm positive that she looks _too good_ to be Draco's date. She just won't believe Gin and me."

Harry looked somewhat perplexed. He had never known Hermione to worry about how she looked for a boy, but he supposed anything was possible.

"There she is," Ginny said, drawing their attention to the stairs once more. Hermione was looking down at her feet, which were covered in strappy three-inch silver heels, as she walked down the stairs toward her friends. Her purple dress was the only one of her friends' dresses that had two straps, each of them about two inches wide on her shoulders. The dress was light purple and clung to her body tighter than Ginny's or Pansy's dress had. But it was still a little loose, and Ron had to admit that she looked much too good for Draco Malfoy. It ended three inches above her knees. It was the simplest of the three dresses, but it suited Hermione well. She had also opted to allow her hair to fall naturally around her shoulders, the ringlets reaching halfway down her back. She had done her makeup simply, not wanting to do too much, and lined her eyes with the same charcoal liner Pansy had used, but with a simpler line.

"Hi, guys," Hermione said when she arrived at her friends' sides. She looked up from her feet then, smiling sheepishly. "Are you ready?"

"Yes ma'am, we are," Pansy said, lacing her arm through Ron's. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Ginny replied, following Pansy's example and putting her arm through Harry's. The two girls then laced their arms through Hermione's arms and the five began their walk down to the Great Hall. Halfway there, Hermione broke away from the group.

"I have to go - I mean, I told - Well, I -" Hermione stammered.

"Just go, sweetie," Pansy murmured to the bumbling girl. It was a rare moment to catch Hermione nervous and uncomfortable like this, and Pansy wanted to make the evening as easy-going for her as possible.

"Thank you," Hermione breathed and began walking down towards the library. She had told Draco she would meet him in front of the large oak doors at 6:45 that evening. It was 6:40, so she figured she wasn't too early even if the girl was always supposed to make the guy wait. She rounded the bend to the library and was surprised to find Draco waiting for her in front of the doors, fiddling with his bow tie and dress robes nervously. His toe tapped impatiently, and Hermione took a moment to watch him with an amused smile on her face. She then took a deep breath, composed herself, and tried to look confident as she approached him. The clicking of her heels alerted him to her presence, and he looked up at the sound.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," she heard him breath as she approached. She smiled as she finally reached him. Even in her heels, he towered a good three inches over her. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Draco," she said shyly, looking down and forgetting her confident act for a moment. He offered his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked, and Hermione was reminded of a few minutes earlier when Pansy had asked the same question, and even before that when Ginny had said it before they got ready. It seemed like the phrase of the day. She giggled and nodded.

"We shall," she said, taking his arm and following his lead as they headed for the Great Hall.

0000

A few hours later, on a break, Ron took Draco aside for a moment. Hermione and Pansy watched from the table they had gotten at the beginning of the dance, nervous about what would be said between the boys. It wouldn't be too out of character for Ron to threaten Draco, even knowing he had matured during the war. Hermione was his "little sister," and as such it would be negligent if Ron didn't say something to a boy who had caught her fancy. But Hermione hoped that their chat wouldn't be _too_ protective on Ron's side. Draco had been nothing but a perfect gentleman all night, and Ron had seen that. Draco's hands had never wandered, and Hermione had done nothing but smile happily the entire night. Knowing how Ron had ruined the Yule Ball their fourth year, Hermione had hoped that something like this could be avoided. But obviously Ron was determined to give Draco a good talking to concerning Hermione and her happiness with him.

"Malfoy," Ron began. Draco was tempted to interrupt and give Ron a well-rehearsed speech he'd figured out the night before, but refrained and allowed the slightly taller boy to speak his piece. "You know that I've never liked you. You made it hard to like you." Draco had to give him that fact; he hadn't really made himself very likable over the past years. "And you know that I love Hermione with all my heart; she's my sister, and she's not very well-versed in the way boys work. She says that you're not taking advantage of her, and I'll take her word for that. But I know that she's not exactly sure of what she's doing right now."

When Ron paused, Draco spoke. "I'm not taking advantage of her in any way, Weasley. And I know she's not exactly the most experienced girl ever, which is why I know things are going to go slowly between us, if there ever is an '_us_' to speak of."

Ron nodded. "Just know, Malfoy, that if you hurt her in any way or force her to do anything she's not comfortable with..." Ron trailed off and glared at Draco, but the implication was clear: _You hurt her, I hurt you._ "I still don't like you, Malfoy. And I can't honestly say that I think I ever will. But I see how happy you make her, and that's enough for me right now. She deserves to be happy. Even if it's with the git who called her foul names for the majority of the time she knew him."

Draco kept eye contact with Ron, but inside he winced. He was ashamed of his past behavior, but that wasn't something he was going to let Ron see just yet. They weren't nearly that close, and probably never would be. But the fact that Ron would accept Draco's fancying Hermione simply because she was happy was something he hadn't expected from the redhead. If anything, Draco had expected to come to blows with Ron because Hermione was his date tonight. Draco swallowed hard, keeping his face strong and mostly emotionless.

"Thank you, Weasley," Draco murmured, forgetting his speech and opting for gratitude instead. "I assume Potter feels the same?"

"You'd be mostly correct," Ron replied. "He's more forgiving than I am. He's still wary of you, but he's more accepting of changes in people. I'm not so sure of you yet."

"Fair enough." Draco stuck his hand out for Ron to shake, and the redhead looked at it for a moment. It seemed like Ron was trying to decide whether to shake or not, and he glanced over to Hermione and Pansy. Hermione looked hopeful and worried at the same time, and Pansy was looking at him as though willing him to take the proffered hand. He sighed and looked back at the pale-haired boy in front of him. It took just one more moment of contemplation before Ron shook his hand firmly and the pair made their way back to the table. Instead of sitting, Draco offered his hand to Hermione and raised his pale eyebrows. She beamed up at him as she took it, standing to go dance with him.

"What was all that about?" Hermione asked once they were far enough away that her friends couldn't hear their conversation. Draco looked over to Ron, who was watching them intently from his peripheral vision. Draco looked back to Hermione and shook his head. He pulled her closer as they began to dance and breathed in her scent: apples and cinnamon. He dipped his head close to her ear before he spoke.

"Don't worry about it," he murmured. "Just working out a few things. Just put it out of your mind and have a wonderful night, Hermione."

Hermione turned her face up to him, confusion in her eyes. She hated not knowing what was going on between her friends. But Draco merely shook his head again and touched his lips to hers, silencing any other questions with the most perfect kiss Hermione could have imagined.

"I already am, Draco," Hermione murmured and let her head fall to rest on his shoulder as he led her nimbly around the room. "I already am."

_Fin._

_

* * *

_**Author's Note: **Epilogue or not? I'm not really sure if I want to attempt it, because it would be at the end of the school year and I just don't know... Just let me know what you think, I guess. Thanks for reading, though! I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, a huge thank you to **Dramione-Fan 17, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, BlackWerewolfOfPurpleRoses, SullieBee, Janey Faith Banquee, GoldieFlow, xvamploverx, ObSeSsEd TwIlIgHt FaN jUmElLe, Lexeniah, Elfgurl96, IceSkater76, iamagemm, emilyelektrik, HaleBoppMiracle, naturallyflora, ca803, **and** Jinxxed by a Shadow **for the reviews!

And **A-misty-paradox, adalis, AlecLover, aquarius89, Azn Shortii, Becca Granger Malfoy Lovechild, ca803, cadalabicious, Cherry-chan15, deeNiisseeC', Dramione-Fan 17, Elfgurl96, Gleek5227, IceSkater76, IronicallyUnconventional., Janey Faith Banquee, Jinxxed by a Shadow, kaia4draco, lucy rose labyrinth, LumosFlies, MoonShadowPrincess, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, naturallyflora, nette91, PicturesOfYou23, pirateKitten11893, Potions 101, spoontastic, SullieBee, xKacyx, **and **xvamploverx: **Thank you so much for adding this story to your favorites! I appreciate it!

And also: **A-misty-paradox, AimeeMason, auscorpiotiger, , becks636, BlackWerewolfOfPurpleRoses, blue-eyed-lovers XD, ca803, Cherry-chan15, Dr. Josephine, emilyelektrik, FairyPrincessWithATwist, froggi101, frozenxloveX, GoldieFlow, HogwartsBum64, iamagemm, IceSkater76, IWantMyOwnJamonSalvlock, Janey Faith Banquee, Jinxxed by a Shadow, .Pink., Lexeniah, Megan., MoonShadowPrincess, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, naturallyflora, Ninna616, ObSeSsEd TwIlIgHt FaN jUmElLe, shatteredXimagination, SullieBee, SunsStorm, TeamPettyfer, Thecla, TwinsConspiracy, xKacyx, xvamploverx, **and **xxHeartless Girlxx. **Thank all of you for adding this to your alerts! I appreciate that as well.

Finally, the biggest thank you has to go to **Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini**, who is the brains behind this operation. This was her challenge, and I think she's the bomb. She's got amazing ideas for stories, and her next challenge has me thoroughly stumped. Thank you SO much.


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